J  UN  ir^  1914 


BV  3150  .E4  1913 

Eddy,  Sherwood,  1871-1963 

The  new  era  in  Asia 


EDITED   UNDER   THE   DIRECTION    OF   THE 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


THE  NEW  ERA 
IN  ASIA 


Suggestions  to  Leaders  and  special  denominational  helps  may 
be  obtained  by  corresponding  with  the  secretary 
ot  your  mission  board  or  society. 


THE  NEW  ERA 
IN  ASIA 


BY 

C^--:^^      SHERWOOD   EDDY 

Author  of  India  Anvakening 


V,' 


Fc 


o'rvsra^^rcx 


New  York 

Missionary  Education  Movement  of  the 

United  States  and  Canada 

1913 


COPYRIGHT,   1913,   BY 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT  OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


TO  MY  MOTHER 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Introduction  by  Dr.  John  R.  Mott        .        .        .  xi 

Preface xiii 

I    The  Renaissance  of  Asia i 

II     The  New  Era  in  Japan 31 

III  The  New  Era  in  Korea 57 

IV  The  New  Era  in  China 85 

V    The  New  Era  in  China  [Continued)       .        .        .113 

VI    The  New  Era  in  India 137 

VII    The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East       ....  163 

VIII    The  New  Era  in  World  Missions    ....  191 

Index 219 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Provincial  Parliament  of  Fukien     .       .       .  Frontispiece 

The  Harbor  of  Osaka i8 

Two  Thousand  Women  at  Professor  Robertson's  Lecture 

on  Wireless  Telegraphy,  Foochow,  1913  ....  24 

Speaker  and  Interpreter  in  the  Osaka  Y.  M.  C.  A.  .       .  52 

Pastor  Kil  of  Ping  Yang 72 

Group  of  Political  Prisoners 78 

Temple  of  Heaven 108 

C.  T.  Wang 118 

Chang  Po-ling 124 

The  Grave  of  Pitkin 126 

William  Carey 152 

Bishop  Azariah 160 

Abdul  Hamid  H 170 

Reading  the  Constitution  in  the  Square  at  Monastir       .  176 
World  Missionary  Conference,  United  Free  Church  As- 
sembly Hall,  Edinburgh 196 

Syrian  Conference  on  Unity,  Serampur,  1913     ...  198 

Map End 


INTRODUCTION 

The  vast  continent  of  Asia  with  its  multitudinous 
population  is  in  the  midst  of  stupendous  changes — 
changes  political,  educational,  economic,  social,  and 
religious.  From  the  Near  East  to  the  Far  East  one 
feels  the  thrill  of  a  new  life.  The  situation  thus 
presented  to  the  Christian  Church  is  unprecedented 
in  opportunity,  in  danger,  and  in  urgency.  This  is 
the  greatest  single  fact  to  be  pressed  upon  the  mind 
and  conscience  and  will  of  Christendom. 

In  this  volume  Mr.  Sherwood  Eddy  has  massed 
with  compelling  force  the  results  of  his  personal  in- 
vestigation, observation,  and  experience.  His  fifteen 
years  of  active  work  among  the  educated  classes  in 
all  parts  of  the  Indian  Empire,  and  his  recent  re- 
markable journeys  and  campaigns  in  the  near  and 
in  the  extreme  Orient,  have  given  him  an  unexcelled 
opportunity  to  study  the  Christian  problems  in  Asia 
and  especially  to  understand  the  movements  and  tend- 
encies in  Asia  as  a  whole. 

John  R.  Mott. 

New  York,  N.  Y., 
September  jo,  igij. 


PREFACE 

On  the  occasion  of  the  inauguration  of  the  present 
campaign  of  the  Mission  Boards  of  North  America, 
a  telegram  was  received  by  the  writer,  while  in  Japan, 
requesting  the  preparation  of  a  manuscript  on  The 
New  Era  in  Asia.  The  experiences  of  the  evan- 
gelistic tour  across  Asia  with  Dr.  John  R.  Mott  in 
1912-13,  seemed  to  offer  an  especial  advantage  for 
the  preparation  of  such  a  book,  and  one  could  hardly 
refuse  to  let  the  facts  speak  for  themselves.  Every 
year  changes  are  taking  place  in  the  Orient,  but  on 
no  preceding  trip  were  there  visible  transformations 
so  vast  and  far-reaching  as  during  this  past  year. 
China  had  become  a  republic;  Japan  had  made  a 
distinct  advance  in  constitutional  government;  Korea 
was  adjusting  herself  to  the  new  regime;  the  unrest 
in  India  was  entering  upon  a  new  phase;  and  the 
Balkan  war  was  changing  the  map  of  the  Turkish 
Empire  and  affecting  the  Near  East.  The  present 
awakening  constitutes  nothing  less  than  a  renaissance 
of  Asia,  and  already  there  are  signs  of  a  moral  and 
religious  reformation  that  is  to  follow.  When  taken 
together,  in  their  inner  significance  and  with  their 
cumulative  force,  the  facts  present  a  compelling  chal- 
lenge to  the  Christian  Church. 

Asia  is  passing  through  a  period  of  fundamental 
reconstruction,  and  the  molds  into  which  she  hardens 


HV 


Preface 


will  determine  her  whole  future  life.  The  Renaissance 
and  Reformation  introduced  a  new  era  into  Europe, 
the  significance  of  which  no  one  could  have  foreseen. 
The  forms  of  national  religion  into  which  nations 
settled  after  the  Reformation  have  been  little  changed 
since  then.  The  present  changes  in  Asia  are  in  many 
ways  more  vast  and  fundamental  than  those  which 
took  place  in  Europe  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
reconstruction  of  Asia  in  these  decades  is  the  most 
important  issue  the  world  has  to  face. 

Special  thanks  are  due  to  Dr.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer  for 
valuable  suggestions  and  help  received  in  preparing 
the  manuscript;  to  Mr.  Galen  M.  Fisher  for  help  on 
the  chapter  on  Japan,  and  Professor  Harlan  P.  Beach 
on  the  chapter  on  China;  to  the  Rev.  Joseph  K. 
Greene  on  Turkey  and  the  Balkan  war ;  to  Mr.  W.  B. 
Pettus  and  Mr.  Charles  H.  Fahs  for  helpful  criticism. 

Sherwood  Eddy. 

New  York,  N.  Y., 
July  21,  igis. 


THE  RENAISSANCE  OF  ASIA 


THE  RENAISSANCE  OF  ASIA 

Decisive  Pauline  Voyage.  During  the  recent  war 
between  Turkey  and  Italy  we  sailed  one  day  through 
the  gateway  of  the  new  world  down  the  narrow  strip 
of  water  that  separates  Europe  from  Asia.  We  had 
sailed  through  the  ancient  Hellespont,  had  passed  the 
ancient  plain  of  Troy,  where  Homer's  heroes  fought, 
and,  further  on,  the  site  of  the  deserted  harbor  of 
Troas,  where  nineteen  centuries  ago  the  Apostle  Paul 
crossed  from  the  East  to  the  West,  with  his  trans- 
forming message  for  the  new  world.  As  we  glanced 
northwestward  over  the  waters  we  thought  of  the 
momentous  voyage,  when  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles, 
at  the  call  of  that  man  from  Macedonia,  "  Come  over 
and  help  us,"  launched  out  in  the  little  sailing  craft 
that  was  to  bear  him  from  the  old  world  into  the 
new.  Little  could  he  have  dreamed,  and  as  little  does 
the  writer  of  the  Acts  seem  to  realize,  that  in  response 
to  that  epoch-making  vision,  St.  Paul  was  passing  not 
merely  from  one  Roman  province  to  another,  but  from 
Asia  to  Europe,  from  the  ancient  East  to  the  newer 
West. 

What  It  Meant.  When  thrown  into  prison  at 
Philippi,  the  first  city  of  the  district,  he  had  little  to 
show  for  his  labor  in  the  two  or  three  insignificant 

3 


4  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

converts  that  had  been  gathered — an  obscure  Jewish 
woman,  a  demented  Greek  slave  girl,  a  despised  Ro- 
man jailer  and  his  family;  these  few  converts  help- 
less and  scattered,  and  the  apostle  in  prison.  The 
first  foreign  missionary  venture  to  the  West  had  ap- 
parently ended  in  failure.  Yet,  that  first  Christian 
woman  meant  a  new  womanhood  for  the  West  and 
for  the  world.  That  first  slave  freed  meant  a  prin- 
ciple at  work  that  should  in  time  strike  the  last  shackle 
from  the  last  slave.  That  first  family  converted  and 
feeble  church  founded  meant  the  widening  circles  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  West,  the  leaven  of  a  new 
power  in  life,  the  beginning  of  a  Christian  civilization 
in  Europe. 

Three  Great  Words.  What  was  the  transforming 
gospel  that  this  first  missionary  carried  to  the  conti- 
nent of  our  savage  ancestors?  Any  one  of  a  hundred 
passages  will  epitomize  the  Christian  message ;  for  ex- 
ample, John  iii.  i6 :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal 
life."  This  single  passage  contains  three  new  terms, 
three  dynamic  concepts,  three  great  principles  that 
must  in  time  transform  all  life  and  found  a  new  civili- 
zation. Those  three  terms  are  "  God,"  "  man,"  "  life." 
A  God  of  love,  a  self-sacrificing  Father,  who  so  loved 
that  he  gave;  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  revealed  in  the  incarnation  of  his  Son.  Man, 
of  infinite  worth,  worthy  of  such  an  infinite  sacrifice, 
free  to  enter  into  a  personal  relation  with  the  living 
God,  responsible  before  the  issues  of  life  and  death, 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  5 

created  to  love  and  serve  his  fellow  man.  Life, 
eternal,  capable  of  infinite  development,  realized  in  a 
personal  relation  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  who 
alone  has  given  a  new  world  of  meaning  to  those  great 
words,  ''God,"  "man,"  and  "life."  Such  was  the 
good  news  which  St.  Paul  and  other  Christian  mes- 
sengers and  missionaries  carried  to  the  West.  On 
these  principles  the  best  in  the  Western  world  was 
built  and  by  them  it  was  transformed.  Benjamin 
Kidd,  in  his  Principles  of  Western  Civilisation,  as 
well  as  in  his  Social  Evolution,  shows  that  Western 
civilization  at  its  best  has  been  only  the  life  history 
of  Christianity;  that  a  few  millions  of  the  least  sig- 
nificant savage  tribes  of  the  West,  the  Teutonic  and 
Anglo-Saxon,  when  uplifted  by  Christianity  soon  came 
to  comprise  one-quarter  of  the  white  population  of 
the  world  and  to  control  nearly  half  the  globe. 

The  Asiatic  Renaissance.  During  seven  months 
of  1912-13  in  a  journey  across  Asia,  including  India, 
Burma,  Ceylon,  the  Straits  Settlements,  China,  Korea, 
and  Japan,  the  writer  has  been  impressed  with  a  great 
awakening  that  is  sweeping  over  the  whole  of  that 
vast  continent  of  Asia.  The  same  principles  that  cre- 
ated our  Western  civilization  are  at  work  to-day  in 
the  ancient  East,  bringing  about  the  same  great  trans- 
formations there  that  they  have  wrought  in  the  West. 
So  vast  and  widespread  is  this  awakening  that  it 
might  well  be  called  "  The  Renaissance  of  Asia." 
And  yet  it  is  more  than  this;  it  is  an  intellectual 
renaissance,  a  religious  reformation,  and  a  nineteenth 
century  of  scientific  and  industrial   development  all 


6  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

combined.  Greater  in  volume,  in  depth,  and  in  power 
than  the  Renaissance  of  Europe  five  centuries  ago, 
it  may  prove  to  be  even  greater  in  its  significance 
also.^  The  population  of  Europe  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury was  less  than  one  hundred  millions,  while  that 
of  Asia  to-day  is  over  nine  hundred  millions,  with 
more  than  twice  the  population  of  Europe,  more  than 
five  times  that  of  North  and  South  America  combined, 
half  that  of  the  habitable  globe.^  Greater  in  rapidity 
than  the  awakening  in  the  West,  this  combined  re- 
naissance and  reformation  is  crowding  into  decades  in 
Asia  what  was  the  slow  growth  of  centuries  on  the 
continent  of  Europe. 

The  European  Renaissance.  To  grasp  its  full 
significance,  let  us  look  back  for  a  moment  at  the 
Renaissance  of  Europe  during  the  fifteenth  century. 
By  the  Renaissance  we  mean  the  whole  transition 
from  the  middle  age  to  the  modern,  that  *'  rebirth  " 
to  a  new  and  larger  life  through  the  revival  of  learn- 
ing. The  human  mind,  released  from  its  long  repres- 
sion, asserted  itself  in  a  new  demand  for  liberty.  The 
movement  affected  first  thought,  then  politics,  bring- 
ing unrest  and  war  in  the  inevitable  conflict  of  the 
new  ideals  of  life  with  the  old.  A  five-fold  trans- 
formation of  life  swept  all  Europe,  for  this  awaken- 
ing was  at  once  political,  intellectual,  economic,  social, 
and  religious. 

1  See  "  The  Greater  Renaissance,"  by  Dr.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  in 
All  the  World,  April,  191 1. 

2  The  population  of  Europe  in  igio  was  427,000,000  ;  that  of 
Asia,  959,000,000.  (Compiled  from  the  States7narCs  Year 
Book,  1913.) 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  7 

Political  Scope.  First  of  all,  politically,  following 
upon  the  decay  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  medieval 
Church,  and  the  feudal  system,  the  new  nations  were 
knit  together,  breaking  up  into  new  national  units, 
with  the  beginning  of  that  process  of  the  evolution 
of  nationality,  the  development  of  patriotism,  the  de- 
mand for  constitutional  government,  and  the  growth 
of  military  power,  which  came  to  final  expression  in 
the  nineteenth  century.  The  growth  of  nationality 
and  individual  freedom  have  been  the  main  features 
of  modern  history  ever  since. 

Intellectual  Range.  Intellectually,  with  the  new 
freedom  of  thought,  men  broke  from  the  crushing 
restraints  of  medieval  authority  and  absolutism. 
Schools,  colleges,  and  universities  were  rapidly 
founded  throughout  Europe.  The  discovery  of  print- 
ing widened  and  extended  the  new  revival  of  learning. 
New  worlds  were  opened  up  by  the  compass  of  Co- 
lumbus and  the  telescope  of  Galileo.  The  substitu- 
tion of  the  Copernican  system  for  the  cumbersome, 
earth-centered  Ptolemaic  system  of  astronomy,  gave 
a  new  center  and  true  perspective  to  modern  science. 
The  use  of  gunpowder  revolutionized  the  art  of  war, 
and  as  a  great  social  leveler  armed  the  common  peo- 
ple with  power. 

Economic  Results.  Economically,  Europe  passed 
from  a  simple  agricultural  to  an  industrial  and  com- 
mercial age,  with  the  growth  of  the  free  cities,  the 
development  of  trade  and  commerce,  and  a  great 
stimulus  to  intercommunication,  and  the  material  en- 
richment of  life. 


S  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Social  Gains.  Socially,  with  the  new  conception 
of  divine  Fatherhood,  of  human  brotherhood,  of  the 
sacredness  of  life  and  the  worth  of  the  individual, 
came  the  development  of  a  new  democracy  and  the 
growth  of  the  middle  classes.  A  new  individualism 
taught  a  new  reverence  for  personality  and  the  true 
worth  of  man.  The  meaning  of  manhood,  the  pre- 
ciousness  of  childhood,  the  worth  of  womanhood  came 
gradually  to  be  recognized.  With  this  great  move- 
ment toward  humanism  came  the  emancipation  of 
man,  the  restoring  of  humanity  to  its  birthright. 

Religious  Reformation.  Religiously,  this  move- 
ment culminated  in  the  great  Reformation,  in  the 
liberty  of  thought  and  conscience  which  produced  the 
free  nations  of  northern  Europe. 

Asia's  Awakening  Politically.  If  we  turn  from 
the  Renaissance  of  the  fifteenth  century  in  Europe  to 
the  greater  renaissance  of  the  twentieth  century  in 
Asia  we  shall  find  a  striking  parallel  in  each  of  these 
five  phases  of  human  life,  and  we  shall  find  that  the 
changes  in  Asia  have  been  not  only  sudden  but 
thoroughgoing.  First  of  all,  there  is  a  great  political 
awakening  in  Asia.  There  has  been  a  rapid  develop- 
ment of  nationality,  patriotism,  constitutional  govern- 
ment, and  military  power  far  exceeding  the  same  de- 
velopment in  Europe  four  centuries  ago,  both  in  its 
rapidity  and  extent. 

Japan  the  Pioneer  and  Inspirer.  Japan,  chiefly, 
led  the  way  in  the  opening  of  the  Far  East.  The 
opening  of  her  doors  to  Commodore  Perry's  peaceful 
armada  in  1853  destined  the  opening  of  all  Asia.    The 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  9 

charter  granted  by  the  young  Emperor  in  1868,  when 
he  took  the  oath  that  the  government  should  be  ac- 
cording to  pubUc  opinion,  that  justice  should  be  ad- 
ministered, and  that  knowledge  should  be  sought 
throughout  the  whole  world,  was  the  birthday  not 
only  of  Japanese  but  of  Asiatic  liberty,  the  Magna 
Charta  of  a  new  political  era  in  the  entire  Orient. 
Japan's  victory  over  China  was  really  a  victory  for 
China  as  well  as  Japan,  in  that  it  destroyed  the 
foundation  of  the  old  era  and  extended  the  political 
principles  of  the  new.  Japan's  victory  over  Russia  in 
1905  was  really  a  victory  for  the  entire  Eastern  world. 
Not  merely  to  her  own  advantage  did  Japan  thus  gain 
recognized  equality  among  the  great  powers  of  the 
West.  Within  a  month  of  the  signing  of  the  Treaty 
of  Portsmouth  one  stroke  of  the  vermilion  pencil  of 
the  Chinese  Emperor  had  abolished  the  obsolete  sys- 
tem of  education  in  that  empire  and  China  had 
adopted  the  educational  principles  of  the  new  era. 
The  next  year  the  Shah  of  Persia  was  compelled  to 
grant  a  constitution  to  his  people,  and  two  years 
later  the  Young  Turk  Party  brought  on  the  revolu- 
tion in  Turkey.  The  news  of  Japan's  victory  flashed 
like  an  electric  spark  across  Asia  and  sent  a  thrill  of 
hope  through  the  eastern  hemisphere. 

Nev^  Spirit  from  the  West.  An  intense  develop- 
ment of  the  spirit  of  nationalism  and  patriotism  has 
swept  through  almost  all  the  great  peoples  of  Asia. 
This  spirit  has  come  to  the  East  from  the  West. 
Not  one  of  the  great  Oriental  nations  held  this  con- 
cept of  patriotism,  nor  was  there  any  word  in  most 


10  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

of  the  Eastern  languages  to  express  it,  until  these 
ideas  came  with  the  great  principles  of  Western 
civilization.  The  patriarchal  family  and  state,  and 
absolutism  in  government  crushed  out  all  possibility 
of  true  nationalism,  but  to-day  what  a  change!  And 
this  new  sense  of  nationalism  in  the  peoples  of  the 
East  is  a  fact  of  incalculable  blessing  and  promise. 
The  intellectual,  the  economic,  the  social,  and  even 
the  religious  developments  of  Europe  were  based  upon 
the  nationalism  and  liberty  of  the  free  peoples  of  the 
West.  As  Bishop  Gore  well  says:  "If  'the  powers 
that  be  .  .  .  are  ordained  of  God,'  then,  as  surely  as 
the  Roman  Empire  and  the  British  Empire,  so  surely 
the  democratic  movement  and  the  nationalist  move- 
ment [of  the  .  .  .  races  in  Japan,  China,  Africa,  and 
Egypt]  are  ordained  of  God.  ...  It  is  only  through 
faith  in  Christ  that  either  movement  can  realize  it- 
self." ^  .  .  . 

Extreme  Patriotism  of  Japan.  Japan  is  perhaps 
the  most  patriotic  nation  in  the  world.  Indeed  there 
is  an  over-emphasis  of  this  intense  and  exclusive 
nationalism  there  that  will  be  modified  when  a  wider 
perspective  of  humanity  is  developed.  The  patriot- 
ism of  Japan  almost  startles  the  traveler.  In  1904 
soldiers  and  officers  wrote  petitions  in  their  own  blood, 
asking  for  permission  to  go  to  the  front  to  have  a  part 
in  taking  Port  Arthur  or  to  lead  some  desperate  charge. 
Men  often  committed  hara-kiri  if  they  were  not  allowed 
to  go  to  the  war.  A  condemned  criminal  gave  up  his 
last  dinner  before  his  execution  that  he  might  give 

"^International  Review  of  Missions,  April,  1912,  274. 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  ii 

the  price  of  the  meal  thus  saved  to  his  country.  The 
suicide  of  General  Nogi  by  hara-kiri  on  the  death  of 
the  Emperor  called  forth  a  deep  and  almost  nation- 
wide response  from  the  Japanese  people,  and  showed  at 
once  the  strength  and  danger  of  this  exclusive  na- 
tionalism. 

Its  Recent  Sweep  in  China.  In  books  on  China 
published  before  the  Boxer  war  it  was  often  stated 
that,  although  there  was  racial  unity,  there  was  no 
word  for  patriotism  in  the  Chinese  language  and  no 
conception  of  nationality  among  the  people.  We  are 
told  that  many  among  the  masses  did  not  even  hear 
the  news  of  Japan's  victory  over  China  and  that  many 
of  those  who  did  hear  cared  nothing  about  it.  Yet 
to-day  a  burning  patriotism  is  sweeping  through  the 
students  and  the  younger  generation  of  China  and 
extending  rapidly  even  among  the  masses.  The  writer 
heard  of  many  a  student  who  had  cut  off  a  finger  that 
he  might,  in  his  own  blood,  sign  a  petition  to  the 
throne  for  liberty.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to  see 
student  audiences  in  China  with  every  cue  gone  and 
with  them  the  whole  conservatism  of  the  past  four 
thousand  years  suddenly  cast  away.  Whole  audiences 
rose  with  intense  feeling  to  sing  their  new  national 
anthem  to  the  same  tune  as  that  of  several  of  the 
great  nations  of  the  West.  The  widespread  demand 
for  a  republic  and  the  recent  change  of  government 
was  a  striking  evidence  of  the  new  spirit  of  national- 
ism and  patriotism  which  has  pervaded  the  Chinese 
people,  and  so  strong  is  the  demand  for  it  to-day  that, 
despite  local  disturbances,  democratic  and  republican 


12  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

government  can  probably  never  again  be  permanently 
overthrown  in  China. 

Its  Strength  in  Korea  and  the  Philippines.  A 
generation  ago  patriotism  was  almost  unknown  in  cor- 
rupt Korea,  but  a  strong  national  feeling  is  now  every- 
where manifested.  In  the  Philippines,  also,  which 
showed  almost  no  national  consciousness  under  the 
Spanish  government,  political  autonomy  is  now  in- 
sistently demanded,  and  the  people  are  restive  even  un- 
der the  most  rapid  advances  in  self-government  which 
the  United  States  can  give  them. 

India's  New  Consciousness.  The  same  burning 
patriotism  has  spread  among  the  students  of  India. 
Indeed  every  student  audience  from  Tokyo  to  Cal- 
cutta, from  Shanghai  to  Constantinople,  from  Seoul  to 
Bombay,  shows  the  same  deep  national  feeling,  the 
same  response  to  the  national  note.  The  point  of  con- 
tact to-day  with  the  students  throughout  Asia  is  to 
be  found  in  this  deep  national  consciousness.  They 
are  at  first  little  interested  in  individual  salvation ;  but 
to  anything  which  concerns  their  nation  and  its  wel- 
fare there  is  instant  response.  The  students  of  India 
to-day  are  not  reading  the  Vedas  or  the  musings  of 
the  ancient  Rishis  or  speculative  philosophy,  but  they 
are  reading  Mill  and  Mazzini  on  liberty,  they  are  in- 
terested in  the  American  and  French  revolutions  and 
in  England's  struggle  for  liberty.  This  developing 
national  consciousness,  which  is  slowly  but  surely  pen- 
etrating the  masses,  will  probably  in  time  bring 
India  to  the  position  of  a  great  self-governing  mem- 
ber of  the  British  empire,  like  Canada. 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  13 

No  Ground  for  Race  Pride.  It  is  sometimes 
lightly  assumed  that  the  white  race  is  so  inherently 
superior  to  all  others  that  it  can  afford  to  leave  them 
out  of  account.  On  this  subject  one  of  the  leading 
American  anthropologists,  Professor  Franz  Boas, 
speaks  as  follows :  ''  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  the 
conditions  for  assimilation  in  ancient  Europe  were 
much  more  favorable  than  in  those  countries  where 
in  our  times  primitive  people  come  into  contact  with 
civilization.  Therefore  we  do  not  need  to  assume  that 
the  ancient  Europeans  were  more  gifted  than  other 
races  which  have  not  become  exposed  to  the  influences 
of  civilization  until  recent  times.  (Garland,  Ratzel.) 
...  In  short,  historical  events  appear  to  have  been 
much  more  potent  in  leading  races  to  civilization  than 
their  faculty,  and  it  follows  that  achievements  of 
races  do  not  warrant  us  in  assuming  that  one  race  is 
more  highly  gifted  than  the  other.  ...  I  hope  the 
discussions  contained  in  these  pages  have  shown  that 
the  data  of  anthropology  teach  us  a  greater  tolerance 
of  forms  of  civilization  different  from  our  own,  and 
that  we  should  learn  to  look  upon  foreign  races  with 
greater  sympathy,  and  with  the  conviction,  that,  as  all 
races  have  contributed  in  the  past  to  the  cultural 
progress  in  one  way  or  another,  so  they  will  be  capable 
of  advancing  the  interests  of  mankind,  if  we  are  only 
willing  to  give  them  a  fair  opportunity."  ^ 

Asia's  Awakening  Intellectually.  The  intellectual 
awakening  in  Asia   is   even  more  marked   than   the 

^   The  Mind  of  Primitive  Man,  13,  17,  288. 


14  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

political.  Just  as  Europe  in  the  Renaissance  drew 
her  culture  and  her  inspiration  from  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics  and  the  wisdom  of  the  East,  Asia  to-day 
is  borrowing  in  her  turn  from  Western  education  and 
Western  science  the  same  freedom  of  thought  and 
emancipation  of  the  mind. 

Japan's  Phenomenal  Advance.  Within  our  own 
lifetime  the  Japanese  have  become  a  nation  of  readers. 
They  claim  to  have  more  than  ninety  per  cent,  of 
their  children  of  school-going  age  in  their  public 
schools.  Japan  issued  books,  under  more  new  titles, 
last  year  than  did  either  England  or  America,  and 
her  Era  of  Meiji,  or  Enlightenment,  since  1868  has 
been  a  veritable  renaissance. 

Startling  New  Departure  in  China.  China's  in- 
tellectual awakening  has  been  even  more  startling  than 
that  of  Japan.  Reference  has  been  made  to  the  Im- 
perial Edict,  which,  a  month  after  the  signing  of  the 
Treaty  of  Portsmouth  in  1905,  swept  away  the  ancient 
system  of  education  and  substituted  a  modern  and 
Western  system.  China's  scholars  for  two  thousand 
years  had  had  their  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  a  golden 
age  of  the  past.  Although  they  had  performed  titanic 
feats  in  memorizing  whole  volumes  of  their  ancient 
classics,  they  did  not  know  that  the  earth  was  round, 
they  knew  nothing  of  gravitation  or  of  practical  af- 
fairs. But  now  China  has  begun  her  modem  educa- 
tion in  earnest.  Temples  in  many  of  the  cities  have 
been  confiscated  to  accommodate  the  colleges  or 
schools  which  are  being  founded  more  rapidly  than 
buildings  can  be  built  for  them.     The  ancient  exami- 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  15 

nation  halls  of  the  classic  system  are  being  torn  down 
to  build  the  new  universities  and  parliament  buildings. 
The  number  of  modern  government  students  in  Pe- 
king in  a  decade  rose  from  three  hundred  to  seventeen 
thousand,  and  the  pupils  in  the  province  surrounding, 
from  two  thousand  to  two  hundred  thousand.  During 
a  visit  to  a  dozen  of  the  cities  in  China  the  writer 
found  from  four  thousand  to  twelve  thousand  stu- 
dents in  each.  The  splendid  buildings  of  the  great 
normal  schools  rise  in  many  cities,  some  having  a 
thousand  teachers  in  training;  for  China's  new  system 
when  completed  will  call  for  nearly  a  million  teachers. 
There  is  a  thirst  for  modern  education  greater  even 
than  that  formerly  manifested  for  the  old  learning, 
when  men  of  seventy  or  eighty  years  of  age  were  seen 
still  trying  to  pass  the  classic  examinations.  Even 
women's  education  is  being  rapidly  advanced  in 
China. 

Philippine  Record  of  a  Decade.  The  educational 
record  of  the  Philippines  also  has  been  a  brilliant  one 
during  a  decade.  In  1910-11  there  were  over  six 
hundred  thousand  pupils  in  the  schools,  or  more  than 
one  quarter  of  the  two  million  children  of  school- 
going  age.  More  than  five  hundred  American  teach- 
ers were  carried  in  one  shipload  to  the  Philippines. 
A  splendid  system  of  industrial  training,  including 
farming,  domestic  science,  and  practical  handicrafts, 
is  giving  the  Filipinos  a  much  needed  industrial  gos- 
pel. Education  is  free  to  all.  Pupils  have  learned 
more  English  under  a  decade  of  American  rule  than 
Spanish  in  three  centuries  under  the  control  of  Spain. 


l6  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Approximately  one  sixth  of  the  entire  revenue  of  the 
government  is  spent  for  education. 

Educational  Progress  in  India.  The  revival  of 
learning  and  the  thirst  for  education  are  equally  mani- 
fest in  India.  Not  only  are  there  more  than  thirty 
thousand  students  in  the  colleges  and  over  six  million 
children  in  the  schools  of  India,  but  the  growing  and 
insistent  demand  for  free  and  compulsory  primary 
education  is  being  steadily  voiced  by  Indian  political 
leaders,  like  Mr.  Gokhale.  Some  one  may  object  that 
the  masses  are  not  yet  educated  in  India  or  China  and 
that  four  fifths  of  the  children  in  both  countries  are 
not  as  yet  in  school,  that  the  farmers  in  the  distant 
villages  have  not  yet  heard  of  the  Indian  Mutiny  of 
1857  or  of  Japan's  victory  over  China ;  but  it  is  equally 
true  that  the  masses  were  not  educated  in  the  re- 
naissance of  Europe  and  indeed  often  did  not  even 
know  of  the  existence  of  the  revival  of  learning. 

Progress  of  the  Press  in  Asia.  The  printing-press 
is  extending  this  Oriental  renaissance  much  more 
rapidly  than  it  did  the  Occidental.  Although  the  Chi- 
nese invented  movable  type  five  centuries  before 
Gutenberg  at  Mainz,  it  was  Robert  Morrison,  the 
missionary,  who  brought  the  first  modern  press  to 
China.  Her  one  permitted  newspaper,  the  Imperial 
Gazette,  for  the  officials,  is  now  multiplied  more  than 
two  hundred-fold.  William  Carey  introduced  the  first 
printing-press  and  newspaper  into  India,  where  to-day 
three  thousand  five  hundred  newspapers  and  periodi- 
cals are  issued  from  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
presses.     One  mission  press  in  Shanghai  is  publish- 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  17 

ing  a  hundred  million  pages  a  year  and  the  Beirut 
press  to  date  has  turned  out  over  a  billion  pages  in 
the  heart  of  the  Mohammedan  world.  The  half  mil- 
lion copies  of  a  single  Gospel  sold  in  Korea  in  a 
year  would  exceed  the  number  of  Bibles  sold  in  all 
Europe  during  the  first  century  of  the  Renaissance. 
The  four  million  Bibles,  Testaments,  and  portions  sold 
in  China  in  a  year  would  equal  the  number  of  Bibles 
in  circulation  in  the  entire  world  at  the  opening  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Almost  every  great  mission  in 
Asia  has  its  press,  which  is  adding  to  the  volume  of 
new  learning  in  the  East. 

Asia's  Economic  Advance.  The  economic  awak- 
ening of  Asia  is  as  clearly  marked  as  the  political  and 
intellectual.  During  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century  the  trade  of  India  increased  four-fold  and 
that  of  China  six-fold.  The  trade  of  the  Philippines 
doubled  in  a  decade  of  American  rule,  while  that  of 
Japan  has  increased  seven-fold  in  twenty  years.  But 
the  twentieth  century  will  see  far  greater  develop- 
ments in  the  East  than  the  nineteenth.  The  simple 
age  of  agriculture  is  giving  way  to  one  of  industry, 
handicrafts  to  national  commerce,  and  isolation  to  the 
new  means  of  communication  that  are  producing  a 
new  national  and  international  consciousness.  Based 
on  the  new  sense  of  nationality  in  the  renaissance  of 
Europe,  the  free  thought  which  led  to  the  develop- 
ment of  trade  in  England,  France,  and  Holland,  is 
producing  the  same  economic  development  in  Japan, 
China,  and  India  to-day.  The  chimneys  of  the  great 
factories  of  Osaka  and  Calcutta  tower  like  those  of 


l8  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Birmingham.  We  traveled  around  the  world  on 
Japanese  steamship  lines,  comfortable,  highly  efficient, 
and  paying  dividends,  with  their  stock  at  a  premium, 
while  some  of  the  American  lines  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean  can  scarcely  pay  expenses.  Our  Japanese 
steamer  crossing  the  Pacific  issued  a  daily  paper,  re- 
ceiving news  by  wireless  from  Asia  and  America. 

Iron  and  Steel  Record  in  China.  The  trade  of 
China  will  develop  rapidly  like  that  of  Japan  and  will 
be  of  great  significance  to  the  West.  A  decade  or  two 
ago  they  were  picking  up  old  horseshoes  in  the  streets 
of  London  and  shipping  them  out  to  make  third-rate 
plows  for  the  farmers  on  the  hills  of  Central  China. 
To-day,  digging  under  those  hills  in  the  four  central 
provinces  they  find  the  greatest  coal  fields  in  the 
world;  enough  in  the  Shansi  province  alone  to  supply 
the  world  for  over  a  thousand  years,  according  to  the 
estimates  of  the  German  geologist,  Baron  von  Richt- 
hofen.  In  Central  China  they  have  found  iron  ore 
better  for  casting  than  that  of  Pittsburgh.  In  the 
great  Hanyang  iron  and  steel  works  at  Wuchang, 
across  from  Hankow, — the  Chicago  of  China, — among 
its  four  thousand  workmen  the  writer  saw  skilled 
Chinese  labor  working  at  $1.25  a  week,  handling 
thirteen  thousand  horse-power  machinery  under  elec- 
tric control,  and  turning  out  the  finest  steel  rails  for 
the  new  railways  of  China,  that  will  stretch  from 
Shanghai  on  the  east  to  India  on  the  west,  from 
Canton  in  the  south  to  Siberia  in  the  north.  An 
American  steel  man  who  was  asked  to  open  up  iron 
works  on  the  Pacific  coast  declined  to  do  so,  saying 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  19 

that  America  could  never  compete  with  China  on  that 
coast.  Even  the  American  Steel  Corporation,  ac- 
cording to  the  testimony  of  Charles  M.  Schwab  be- 
fore the  Senate  Commission  in  1912,  finds  it  cheaper 
to-day  in  San  Francisco  to  get  pig  iron  from  China 
than  to  haul  their  own  iron  from  Pittsburgh. 

China's  Natural  Resources.  China  has  vast  nat- 
ural resources.  The  former  American  minister,  the 
Honorable  John  W.  Foster,  said  that  China  would 
build  more  railways  than  any  other  country  in  the 
world  in  the  twentieth  century.  If  her  railways  were 
developed  until  their  gross  returns  were  equal  to 
those  of  the  United  States,  these  in  one  year  would 
exceed  China's  present  national  debt.^  She  has  vast 
resources  in  coal,  having  twenty  times  as  much  as  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  almost  if  not  quite  as  much  as 
the  United  States.  Develop  China's  mines  of  all  kinds 
until  the  output  is  of  like  value  to  those  of  the  United 
States  and  it  would  exceed  China's  national  debt  every 
three  months.  China  has  the  largest  laboring  popula- 
tion in  the  world,  the  greatest  supply  of  cheap,  and 
potentially  of  skilled,  labor  of  any  nation.  If  her 
manufactures  were  developed  until  the  gross  returns 
were  equal  to  those  of  America  these  would  equal  the 
entire  national  debt  in  three  weeks.  Though  retarded 
for  a  short  time  by  the  adjustment  of  her  political 
difficulties,  she  will  surely,  though  not  slowly,  de- 
velop these  vast  resources. 

1  The  foreign  debt  of  China,  according  to  the  China  Year 
Book  of  1913,  is  about  $752,000,000.  If  to  this  is  added  the 
$125,000,000  of  the  Five  Nations'  Loan,  it  totals  $877,000,000. 


20  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

India's  Trade  and  Tariff.  India's  trade  has  in- 
creased in  half  a  century  from  about  three  hundred 
milHon  dollars  to  fourteen  hundred  million  dollars, 
and  stands  at  present  first  of  all  the  countries  in  Asia. 
She  needs,  however,  a  protective  tariff  to  develop  her 
industries  and  save  her  population  from  an  exclusive 
dependence  upon  agriculture  in  a  land  of  drought  and 
recurring  famines. 

Asia's  Awakening  Socially.  The  social  awakening 
of  Asia  is  also  unmistakable.  The  development  of  a 
new  social  consciousness  and  the  beginnings  of  a  great 
movement  for  social  service  are  among  the  most 
striking  phenomena  which  the  writer  observed  during 
the  last  seven  months  in  India,  China,  and  Japan.  The 
enthusiasm  of  students  for  the  social  message  of  Pro- 
fessor Henderson,  Raymond  Robins,  and  others  was 
a  sign  of  the  times,  and  this  whole  social  movement 
has  followed  in  the  train  of  Christian  missions  and 
Western  education.  In  this,  as  in  so  many  other 
movements,  Asia  is  unconsciously  moving  as  a  unit, 
owing  to  simultaneous  influences  from  the  West.  Be- 
fore receiving  the  principles  of  Western  civilization' 
and  Christianity,  the  individual  was  but  a  fraction; 
not  a  unit,  not  a  man,  not  an  end  in  him- 
self. But  with  Christianity  has  come  the  con- 
ception of  the  worth  of  the  individual,  as  well 
as  a  new  ideal  for  society  and  a  new  view  of  social 
duty. 

Points  of  Progress  in  Japan  and  China.  In  Japan 
there  is  a  steady  advance  of  democracy  and  of  the 
masses  against  the  classes.     The  defense  of  the  con- 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  21 

stitution  this  year  against  the  exclusive  power  of  the 
Emperor  and  the  elder  statesmen  in  Japan  was  a 
marked  triumph.  China,  naturally  democratic,  has 
shown  her  ideals  in  the  insistent  demand  for  a  re- 
public. The  National  Review  of  China,  which  is  not 
a  religious  paper,  states  that  the  movement  for  consti- 
tutional reform  began  when  Robert  Morrison  landed 
in  China.  The  striking  social  reforms  which  China 
has  undertaken  are  evidence  of  a  growing  social  con- 
sciousness. Her  splendid  fight  against  opium,  de- 
liberately facing  a  loss  in  revenue  of  forty  million  dol- 
lars, although  retarded  somewhat  by  the  revolution 
and  the  period  of  political  reconstruction,  has  put  to 
shame  the  feeble  efforts  of  timorous  Western  nations 
in  their  fight  against  the  liquor  traffic.  The  testimony 
of  missionaries  and  experts  from  all  parts  of  China 
convinces  the  traveler  that  the  advance  in  the  sup- 
pression of  the  growing  and  the  consumption  of  opium 
has  been  genuine  and  widespread.  The  gambling  evil 
in  Canton  was  abolished  in  the  face  of  a  loss  of  more 
than  a  million  dollars  in  revenue.  Foot-binding  has 
been  prohibited  by  Imperial  edict,  and  some  women 
with  bound  feet  wear  large  shoes  to  give  the  impres- 
sion of  normal  feet.  The  laws  of  judicial  procedure 
have  also  been  improved,  and  torture  abolished.  The 
origin  of  this  great  social  movement  is  directly  or  in- 
directly traceable  to  the  influence  of  Christian  mis- 
sions. The  opium  movement  followed  on  the  memo- 
rial of  the  Protestant  missionaries.  But  apart  from 
the  influence  of  Christian  missions  and  Western  edu- 
cation the  social  need  is  still  appalling. 


'J22  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Social  Advance  in  India.  In  India  too  a  new  so- 
cial conscience  and  a  growing  movement  for  social 
reform  is  following  in  the  train  of  Christian  missions 
and  of  Western  education.  The  old  conceptions  of 
pantheism  and  polytheism  are  giving  place  to  the  idea 
of  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  The  crushing  power  of 
Hindu  caste  is  being  confronted  by  the  Christian  prin- 
ciples of  brotherhood.  The  sacredness  of  human  life 
and  the  value  of  the  individual  are  being  taught,  and 
a  new  social  conscience  is  manifested  among  the  edu- 
cated leaders  in  India  to-day.  The  graduates  of  mis- 
sion colleges  and  Indian  leaders  of  social  reform  are 
working  bravely  against  enforced  widowhood  and 
child-marriage,  against  the  selling  of  little  girls  for 
the  infamous  uses  of  the  temples  and  against  the  other 
wrongs  of  womanhood.  Groups  for  study  of  the 
social  problem  and  for  service  are  being  organized 
throughout  the  colleges  of  India.  A  movement  is  nOw 
gaining  ground  even  in  Hinduism  for  the  relief  of 
the  Pariahs  and  outcasts  and  for  the  education  of  the 
poor.  Day  and  night  schools  and  schools  for  girls 
are  being  founded  in  all  parts  of  India.  But  this 
whole  movement,  however  unconsciously,  has  drawn 
its  principles  and  its  initial  impulse  from  Chris- 
tian missions,  though  it  is  extending  far  beyond  the 
Christian  Church  and  will  in  time  change  the  very 
structure  of  Hindu  society. 

Asia's  Av^^akening  Religiously.  But  the  awaken- 
ing of  Asia  is  not  only  political,  intellectual,  economic, 
;and  social.  It  is  primarily  and  profoundly  religious. 
Just  as  the  Reformation  in  Europe  followed  the  Re- 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  23, 

naissance  with  a  new  liberty  of  thought  and  conscience: 
and  a  deepening  of  all  life,  a  religious  reformation  is 
as  surely  beginning  in  Asia.  It  is  true  that  the  break- 
down of  the  old  religions  and  their  patent  inability 
to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  heart  or  to  supply  a 
sufficient  basis  for  morality,  are  leading  for  a  time, 
especially  in  Japan  and  China,  to  secularization  and 
materialism.  Just  as  southern  Europe  four  centuries 
ago  entered  an  age  of  liberty  and  of  license,  of  in- 
fidelity and  immorality,  so  many  of  the  students  of 
the  Far  East,  losing  the  restraints  of  the  old  era,  have 
fallen  into  immorality.  The  danger  is  that  the  break- 
up of  the  old  religions  may  be  so  rapid  that  Chris- 
tianity will  not  have  time  to  take  the  place  of  the  old, 
and  to  give  a  new  and  surer  foundation  for  life. 
But,  along  with  this  tendency  toward  secularization 
and  loss  of  faith  in  the  old  religions,  there  is  a  new 
religious  attitude  observable  among  the  students,  as 
truly  as  it  was  in  the  deeper  life  of  northern  Europe 
during  the  Reformation  in  Germany,  Holland,  and 
England. 

Response  to  the  Gospel.  During  the  recent  tour 
of  Dr.  John  R.  Mott  and  the  writer  this  new  attitude 
toward  religion  was  unmistakably  evident  in  the  hear- 
ing given  to  the  Christian  message.  Student  audi- 
ences averaged  about  eight  hundred  a  night  in  Japan, 
a  thousand  a  night  during  the  two  months  spent  in 
India,  and  over  two  thousand  a  night  in  China,  where 
the  interest  became  so  intense  that  in  the  last  two- 
cities  visited, — Mukden  in  the  north  and  Foochow 
in  the  south, — the  attendance  rose  to  five  thousand  a- 


:24  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

day.  More  than  fifty  thousand^  different  men  in 
China,  chiefly  government  students,  attended  these 
meetings.  The  meetings  often  lasted  from  two  to 
three  hours  and  in  many  cases  numbers  had  to  be 
turned  away  for  lack  of  standing  room  in  the  largest 
halls  or  theaters  that  could  be  obtained.  Throughout 
the  six  countries  visited,  in  an  evangelistic  campaign 
extending  through  the  thirty  principal  cities  of  Asia, 
there  was  instant  response  on  more  than  a  hundred 
occasions  when  the  invitation  was  given  for  men  to 
decide  for  Christ  or  to  take  a  stand  as  inquirers. 
These  inquirers  promised  to  read  the  four  Gospels 
'with  open  mind  and  honest  heart,  to  pray  daily  to 
God  for  guidance  and  help,  and  to  follow  Christ  ac- 
»cording  to  their  conscience.  Immediately  following 
the  meetings  several  hundred  non-Christian  students 
were  received  into  the  churches  in  China,  and  several 
thousand  government  students  had  been  enrolled  in 
Bible  classes. 

Remarkable  Demonstration  in  Foochow.  It  will 
be  impossible  to  describe  in  detail  the  spiritual  awak- 
ening in  China  to-day,  but  perhaps  a  concrete  instance 
of  the  change  which  has  taken  place  in  a  single  typi- 
cal city  will  serve  to  show  the  significance  of  the 
present  religious  awakening.  Picture  yourself  enter- 
ing an  old  Chinese  city,  the  city  of  Foochow.  Though 
in  other  cities  of  China  the  student  audiences  had 
averaged  two  thousand  a  night,  here  were  five  thou- 
sand a  day,  admitted  by  ticket  only,  and  the  total  at- 
tendance during  the  six  days  rose  to  over  thirty  thou- 
sand.    I  shall  never  forget  the  scenes  of  that  event- 


_  o 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  25 

ful  week.  Professor  Robertson  worked  with  me 
throughout  the  week.  It  is  not  quite  correct  to  say 
that  all  in  these  audiences  were  students;  indeed  it 
almost  seemed  as  if  the  leaders  of  the  whole  city  of 
600,000  inhabitants  had  been  moved.  The  leaders  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  also  attended  one  lecture 
and  a  banquet.  The  members  of  seventy-two  new 
reform  societies  of  the  city,  which  have  sprung  into 
being  with  the  new  spirit  for  reformation,  attended 
one  of  the  meetings.  The  Provincial  Parliament  it- 
self adjourned  and  invited  Robertson  and  myself  to 
address  them.  It  was  an  imposing  body  of  men,  and 
I  have  seldom  spoken  to  a  more  enthusiastic  audience. 
To  observe  their  dignity  in  debate  and  the  grasp  of 
thought  in  the  handling  of  modern  problems  mani- 
fested by  many  of  these  men  was  encouraging  for 
one  who  has  at  heart  the  future  welfare  of  China. 
These  men  are  no  longer  the  begoggled  scholars  of 
the  old  school.  Here,  beside  the  conservatives  in  their 
silk  robes,  are  young  men  in  Western  frock  coats,  re- 
turned students  from  Japan,  America,  and  Europe, 
with  practical  merchants  of  the  great  trading  gilds — 
men  of  two  political  parties  often  melted  into  one 
burning  unit  of  patriotism  and  concern  for  the  new 
republic. 

What  Will  Save  China?  Now  the  formal  session 
of  the  parliament  is  adjourned  and  they  are  gathered 
in  the  great  hall  to  hear  a  religious  address,  but  their 
concern,  like  that  of  the  students,  is  centered  in  one 
question —  "What  will  save  China?"  Our  point  of 
contact  with  them  is  in  the  new  national  flag  and  we 


26  The  New  Era  In  Asia 

take  its  five  stripes  to  signify  the  five  needs  of  the 
young  republic,  which  furnish  the  five  headings  of 
our  address.  They  are  a  call  to  National  Unity,  Prac- 
tical Patriotism,  Social  Service,  Moral  Earnestness, 
and  Reality  in  Religion.  At  the  mention  of  the  flag 
and  patriotism  these  men,  conservative  and  liberal 
alike,  burst  into  applause.  But  deeper  and  stronger 
still  is  the  response  as  we  strike  the  moral  note  in  this 
land  of  Confucius.  Soon  we  are  one  with  this  audi- 
ence of  men  once  antagonistic,  and  we  proceed  to 
speak  of  that  only  Foundation  for  individual  or  na- 
tional life  which  can  save  China  or  her  sons.  Thus 
official  doors  are  opening  before  the  Christian  mes- 
senger where  our  predecessors  half  a  century  ago 
were  asked  to  kowtow  as  "  foreign  devils  "  and  bar- 
barians to  those  whom  we  now  meet  as  brothers  and 
equals  long  separated. 

Support  of  Educational  Leaders.  The  Confucian 
Presidents  of  thirteen  government  colleges  and  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  in  Foochow,  who  had 
officially  invited  us  to  visit  the  city,  closed  their  col- 
leges during  the  afternoons,  that  the  students  might 
attend  our  evangelistic  meetings,  postponed  the  gov- 
ernment examinations  for  a  week,  and  invited  Pro- 
fessor Robertson  and  myself  to  a  dinner  to  discuss 
plans  for  helping  the  students  in  their  moral  habits. 
In  an  address  one  President  asked  us  to  provide 
healthful  athletics,  while  another  urged  that  Chris- 
tianity should  be  given  to  their  students  to  supplement 
the  moral  foundations  that  had  been  laid  by  Confu- 
cianism, but  which  were  not  sufficient  to  save  them  in 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  27 

this  time  of  transition.  Never  have  we  received  bet- 
ter support  from  professors  in  any  Christian  country. 
Phenomenal  Interest  and  Results.  We  spoke  the 
first  day  on  "  The  Crisis  in  China."  When  our  hear- 
ers responded  with  a  burning  interest  and  concern  for 
their  country  we  spoke  of  the  moral  and  religious 
needs  of  the  republic.  An  hour  before  the  time  of 
meeting  two  thousand  students  crowded  the  hall,  while 
more  than  two  thousand  men  stood  outside  for  over 
an  hour  in  an  overflow  meeting  until  they  also  could 
gain  admission  and  hear  the  lecture  repeated.  Scores 
of  others  who  could  not  get  in  were  turned  away  from 
the  doors,  but  the  police  could  not  drive  them  away 
and  they  finally  broke  down  the  gate.  On  the  second 
day  four  thousand  students  came  back  again  as  we 
spoke  on  "  The  Need  of  China,"  taking  up  the  ques- 
tion of  personal  purity  and  the  fight  for  character. 
On  the  third  day  we  had  again  to  conduct  an  over- 
flow meeting  as  we  spoke  on  "  Christ,  the  Only  Hope 
of  China."  There  was  the  most  rapt  attention,  and 
when  we  called  for  inquirers  over  a  thousand  men 
promised  to  join  Bible  classes  and  study  the  four 
Gospels  with  open  mind,  to  follow  Christ  according 
to  their  conscience  and  accept  him  if  they  found  him 
true.  The  scene  of  the  fourth  day  was  even  more 
remarkable,  when  in  the  great  after-meeting  an  oppor- 
tunity was  given  for  those  who  wished  to  accept 
Christ  and  confess  him  publicly  before  men,  over  four 
hundred  rose  and  the  whole  audience  of  non-Chris- 
tians broke  out  spontaneously  into  applause  at  this 
evidence  of  their  courage.    More  than  seventeen  hun- 


28  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

dred  men,  a  majority  of  whom  were  students  from 
twenty  different  colleges,  enrolled  themselves  as  in- 
quirers, while  over  five  hundred  took  a  stand  confess- 
ing Christ  as  Savior  and  Lord. 

What  Shall  Be  Our  Answer?  The  Asiatic  nations 
are  facing  the  greatest  crisis  not  only  of  the  past 
century  of  missions  but  of  all  the  centuries  of  their 
history.  They  cannot  remain  forever  in  uncertainty. 
They  must  develop  in  the  near  future  in  one  of  three 
directions.  They  may  turn  rapidly  toward  Chris- 
tianity, as  Korea  has  done.  Or  there  may  be  a  re- 
vival of  the  old  religions,  regalvanized  and  nation- 
alized, as  under  Julian  in  the  Roman  Empire  in 
the  last  struggle  of  dying  paganism.  Or  they  may 
turn  toward  Western  materialism,  agnosticism,  and 
infidelity.  Just  as  the  West  once  borrowed  from 
the  culture  and  Christianity  of  the  East,  and  as  St. 
Paul  passed  from  Asia  to  Europe  with  his  trans- 
forming message,  which  shaped  all  that  is  best  in  our 
Western  civilization,  so  we  in  turn  have  given  the 
first  impulse  toward  the  new  awakening,  both  intel- 
lectual and  religious,  in  the  nations  of  the  East, 
through  Christian  missions  and  Western  education. 
It  lies  largely  within  our  power  to  determine  which 
way  these  nations  shall  turn.  The  nations  of  Europe 
at  the  close  of  the  Renaissance  and  Reformation  set 
once  for  all  either  in  Catholic  or  in  Protestant  molds. 
Northern  Europe  responded  to  the  new  awakening 
by  the  Protestant  Reformation.  Southern  Europe  re- 
sponded by  a  Catholic  reaction  and  counter-reforma- 
tion.   But  the  map  of  Europe  has  been  little  changed 


The  Renaissance  of  Asia  29 

since  that  day  and  the  future  centuries  take  their  di- 
rection from  the  formative  period.  It  will  be  the 
same  in  Asia.  Think  of  the  significance  of  this 
mighty  movement  which  is  sweeping  Asia  to-day — 
Asia,  the  cradle  of  the  race,  the  birthplace  of  civiliza- 
tion, the  teacher  of  the  West,  the  mother  of  all  the 
great  religions  of  the  world,  is  awakening.  Asia,  with 
its  more  than  nine  hundred  millions,  or  over  half  the 
human  race,  calls  to-day  in  the  words  of  the  man  of 
Macedonia,  *'  Come  over  and  help  us."  If  the  gathered 
need  of  this  vast  continent — its  wronged  womanhood, 
its  blighted  childhood,  its  crushed  manhood — could 
find  one  common  vocal  expression,  what  a  cry  to  God 
and  to  man  there  would  be !  Dull  must  he  be  of  soul 
who  hears  no  personal  summons  in  the  united  voice 
of  this  continent  of  need.  What  shall  be  our  response 
to  this  awakening  of  Asia? 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  JAPAN 


II 

THE  NEW  ERA  IN  JAPAN 

Perry  and  Mutsuhito.  The  day  that  Perry  entered 
the  Bay  of  Yeddo  with  his  Httle  fleet,  however  un- 
consciously to  him  or  to  America  or  to  Asia,  was  a 
day  of  glad  tidings  for  the  Eastern  world.  To  aid  the 
whalers  and  protect  their  industries  was  apparently 
the  chief  motive  of  the  United  States  in  sending  this 
expedition  to  Japan,  but  how  much  more  God  pur- 
posed for  it  than  did  man!  In  1853,  Commodore 
Perry's  fleet  arrived  from  America  laden  not  only 
with  guns  but  with  gifts  from  the  Western  world, 
indicating  its  commercial,  scientific,  and  religious  ad- 
vancement. Japan,  awakened  from  her  long  seclusion, 
turned  suddenly  from  the  traditions  of  her  past  to 
welcome  the  enlightenment  of  modern  civilization.  In 
1868  the  young  Emperor  Mutsuhito  took  the  great 
Charter  Oath,  promising  to  rebuild  the  empire  accord- 
ing to  the  right  way.  During  his  remarkable  reign 
Japan  probably  made  more  rapid  progress  than  any 
other  nation  in  the  world. 

Pioneers  of  Reconstruction.  Calling  expert  for- 
eigners from  every  nation,  Japan  went  forward  by 
leaps  and  bounds.  For  thirty  years,  more  than  three 
thousand  foreigners  labored  in  Japan  as  teachers,  en- 
gineers, physicians,  military  and  naval  leaders,  finan- 

33 


34  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

cial  and  political  advisers,  to  reconstruct  the  empire. 
From  Great  Britain  Japan  derived  most  of  her  politi- 
cal and  financial  reforms;  from  France  her  first  mil- 
itary system,  which  is  now  formed  upon  the  German 
model;  from  Germany  her  medical  science;  and 
chiefly  from  America  her  public  school  system  and 
impulse  in  trade  and  manufacture.  Noble  men  like 
Dr.  Murray,  and  Dr.  Verbeck,  started  the  national 
system  of  education  and  helped  to  organize  the  Im- 
perial University. 

Achievements  of  New  Era.  Let  us  now  turn  to 
survey  the  achievements  of  the  new  era,  and  the  trans- 
formations which  have  already  been  wrought  in  the 
short  space  of  sixty  years  since  the  opening  of  Japan. 

Political  Progress.  Politically,  Japan  has  achieved 
much.  In  1872  the  army,  navy,  and  civil  service  were 
entirely  reconstructed ;  the  imperial  mint  and  the  new 
coinage  were  introduced;  a  new  educational  depart- 
ment, with  an  imperial  university,  was  established; 
new  post-offices  and  the  first  railways  were  opened, 
together  with  the  first  industrial  exposition.  The  next 
year  the  Christian  calendar  was  adopted.  In  1875  a 
deliberative  assembly  was  added,  followed  by  provin- 
cial assemblies.  In  1889  the  Emperor  granted  a  writ- 
ten constitution,  and  the  first  parliament  followed 
in  1890. 

Educational  Advance.  Education,  no  longer  con- 
fined to  the  training  of  the  aristocracy  in  the  Chinese 
classics,  became  now,  through  a  larger  recognition  of 
the  worth  of  man,  free,  compulsory,  and  almost  uni- 
versal.   Japan  claims  to-day  over  90  per  cent,  of  her 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  35 

children  of  school-going  age  in  schools,  and  has  sud- 
denly become  a  nation  of  readers.  Women  are  now 
educated  for  the  first  time,  and  are  even  admitted  to 
one  or  two  of  the  imperial  universities. 

Economic  Gains.  Economically,  Japan's  advance 
has  been  phenomenal.  Her  foreign  trade,  which  was 
but  $25,cx)0,ooo  in  1876,  or  about  75  cents  per  capita 
of  the  population,  had  become  in  19 10 — $461,350,000, 
or  $9  per  capita.  The  estimated  wealth  of  Japan  has 
increased  to  $12,000,000,000,  and  her  annual  invested 
capital,  according  to  Dr.  Nitobe,  is  now  $200,000,000. 
Factory  laborers  already  number  900,000,  and  have  in- 
creased since  1901  at  an  average  rate  of  60,000  a  year. 
The  writer  traveled  around  the  world  on  the  Japan 
Mail  Steamship  Company's  boats,  which  company 
now  operates  over  seventy-five  steamers  with  a  ton- 
nage of  three  hundred  thousand.  We  traveled  on  the 
comfortable  Pullman  and  other  sleeping  and  dining- 
car  corridor  trains  in  Japan,  Manchuria,  and  Korea. 
"  The  Japanese  are  still  remarkably  successful  in  imi- 
tation and  adaptation  and  in  real  assimilation.  Three 
words  mark  the  stage  of  progress  of  the  Japanese  in 
most  matters — adopt,  adapt,  adept,  but  they  are  also 
evincing  considerable  power  of  invention,  as  the  Ari- 
saka  gun,  the  Shimose  smokeless  powder,  the  Meiji 
30th  year  rifle,  and  the  Oda  mechanical  mine  bear 
evidence." 

Social  Improvements.  Social  changes  are  quite 
evident  under  the  new  era.  Infanticide  and  suicide 
are  condemned.  The  place  of  woman  has  been  ex- 
alted.   She  now  has  a  recognized  status.    Monogamy 


36  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

has  been  introduced  through  Christianity.  The  old 
ideas  of  concubinage,  divorce,  and  prostitution  have 
been  condemned  by  the  best  pubHc  sentiment  through 
the  agitation  led  by  Christians.  A  woman  may  now 
become  the  head  of  a  family  or  inherit  property.  The 
very  physique  and  stature  of  the  Japanese  has  in- 
creased almost  a  full  inch  under  the  new  era,  accord- 
ing to  scientific  measurements  taken  in  the  schools 
and  army.  The  treatment  of  criminals  has  been  im- 
proved, humane  laws  of  criminal  procedure  passed, 
torture  prohibited,  and  asylums  for  the  insane,  the 
leper,  and  the  blind  have  been  opened.  A  social  con- 
science is  being  developed,  and  social  service  is  now 
being  undertaken  on  an  increasing  scale  by  the  Japa- 
nese themselves. 

Moral  and  Religious  Progress.  The  most  marked 
triumph  of  the  new  era,  however,  is  evident  in  the 
sphere  of  morality  and  religion.  In  three  directions 
especially  this  change  is  noticeable :  in  the  growth  and 
power  of  the  Christian  community,  the  revival  and 
renovation  of  the  old  religions,  now  thrown  upon  the 
defensive,  and  the  wide  diffusion  of  Christian  prin- 
ciples in  the  life  of  the  nation. 

Change  Summarized.  To  sum  up  in  a  word.  Al- 
though the  changes  wrought  in  Japan  have  not  been  so 
sudden  and  sweeping  as  in  Korea,  nor  so  dramatic 
and  concrete  as  in  China,  yet  the  very  structure  of 
Japan's  society  is  undergoing  a  vast  change,  and  the 
country  is  passing  rapidly  from  seclusion  to  cosmo- 
politanism, from  the  autocratic  to  the  democratic, 
irom   despotism   and  feudalism   to  constitutionalism, 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  37 

from  paternal  solidarity  to  modern  individualism, 
in  a  word,  from  the  old  era  to  the  new. 

Too  Quick  Success.  Japan  has  moved  almost  too 
quickly  to  success.  Though  her  people  have  excelled 
as  soldiers  and  sailors,  in  manufactures  and  commerce, 
in  a  dazzling  external  success,  the  heart  of  the  nation 
is  far  behind  the  outward  development,  and  may  be 
said  to  be  living  still  under  the  spell  of  the  middle 
ages.  In  morals,  in  social  uplift,  in  truth,  and  in 
chastity,  Japan's  advance  has  not  been  so  rapid  as  in 
other  directions. 

Moral  Defect  in  Education.  In  education,  Japan 
has  tried  to  base  her  entire  system  upon  the  insufficient 
moral  foundations  of  the  Imperial  Rescript.^  But 
this  purely  secular  education  has  had  its  dangerous 
and  inevitable  consequences.  The  Minister  for  the 
Department  of  Justice,  surveying  with  apprehension 
the  increase  of  crime  during  the  decade,  reports  that 
while  crime  among  illiterates  decreased  from  41  per 


^"Know  ye,  our  subjects:  Our  Imperial  Ancestors  have 
founded  our  Empire  on  a  basis  broad  and  everlasting.  .  .  . 
Ye,  our  subjects,  be  filial  to  your  parents,  affectionate  to  your 
brothers  and  sisters;  as  husbands  and  wives  be  harmonious, 
as  friends,  true;  bear  yourselves  in  modesty  and  moderation; 
extend  your  benevolence  to  all ;  pursue  learning  and  cultivate 
arts;  and  thoroughly  develop  intellectual  faculties  and  per- 
fect moral  powers ;  furthermore,  advance  public  good  and 
promote  common  interests;  always  respect  the  Constitution 
and  observe  the  laws ;  should  emergency  arise,  offer  your- 
selves courageously  to  the  State ;  and  thus  guard  and  maintain 
the  prosperity  of  our  Imperial  Throne  coeval  with  heaven 
and  earth.  So  shall  ye  not  only  be  our  good  and  faithful 
subjects,  but  render  illustrious  the  best  traditions  of  your 
forefathers." — Extract  from  "  The  Imperial  Rescript  on  Edu- 
cation "  of  October  20,  1890. 


38  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

cent,  to  33  per  cent.,  that  among  literates  increased 
from  59  per  cent,  to  64  per  cent.^ 

Economic  Drawbacks.  Even  economically  Japan 
is  not  altogether  prosperous.  Her  industries  are  crip- 
pled by  the  unfortunate  absence  of  iron  in  the  coun- 
try, lack  of  skilled  labor,  and  the  predominance  of 
female  labor.  Japan's  debt  now  amounts  to  $1,325,- 
000,000;  an  increase  of  $1,050,000,000  over  her  debt 
prior  to  the  Russian  war.  The  taxes  have  more  than 
doubled  since  the  war  and  are  now  $165,000,000,  an 
average  of  about  30  per  cent,  upon  the  income  of 
business  men  and  property  holders.  The  country  is 
far  too  poor  to  undertake  a  war  to-day,  save  in  self- 
defense.  Japan's  wealth  is  about  one  fourteenth  that 
of  the  United  States,  while  her  debt  is  fourteen  times 
as  heavy  and  the  average  income  per  capita  is  only 
$30.00  a  year  or  about  one  fifth  that  of  the  United 
States.  Japan's  water-power  and  a  few  mines  are 
her  only  large  undeveloped  resources. 

Social  Points  of  Weakness.  Socially,  Japan  will 
lag  behind  till  she  accepts  the  Christian  basis  for  her 
civilization.  Dr.  Nitobe  tells  us  that  62  per  cent,  of 
the  laborers  in  the  10,500  factories  are  women,  who 
constitute  an  army  of  500,000  of  the  weaker  sex. 
Child  labor  is  disproportionately  large,  five  per  cent, 
of  the  operatives  being  commonly  children. 

^The  Minister  of  Justice  thus  analyzes  crime  in  the  two 
classes : 

Against  the  public  good Illiterates   4  per  cent    Literates  28  per  cent. 

Against  the  body "  13    "      "  "  16    "       " 

Against  property "  16    "      "  "         20    "      " 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  39 

Prevalence  of  Impurity.  Much  of  the  impurity 
of  the  old  era  still  persists.  At  least  one  temple  still 
exists  which  is  endowed  by  the  establishment  of 
houses  of  ill  fame.  Nearly  all  the  national  religious 
shrines  are  surrounded  by  such  immoral  resorts ;  for 
a  pilgrimage  often  means  a  spree  to  the  average 
worshiper.  After  his  penance  is  performed  at  the 
shrine  he  can  begin  again  to  have  a  good  time. 
Japanese  women  imported  to  the  cities  of  Asia  are 
the  worst  poison  to  society  in  the  slums  of  the 
East.^  There  are  48,769  prostitutes  in  the  country. 
One  woman  in  every  seven,  between  the  ages  of  fif- 
teen and  thirty-five,  is  a  prostitute  or  geisha.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Japan  Mail  these  poor  girls  in  Tokyo 
are  selling  body  and  soul  for  an  average  wage  of 
seven  cents  a  day,  and  even  their  food  is  insuffi- 
cient. It  is  often  said,  "  Why  trouble  these  peo- 
ple with  our  religion ;  are  they  not  getting  on  very  well 
with  their  own?"  But  as  Bishop  McDowell  says: 
"  Nobody  is  getting  on  very  well  without  Jesus  Christ.*' 

Religions  of  Japan.  From  ancient  times  Japan 
has  had  three  religions.  Shinto  is  a  combination  of 
nature-worship  and  of  hero-worship,  the  primitive 
cult  of  Japan,  codified  and  nationalized.  Ethically 
and  theologically  weak,  its  chief  emphasis  is  upon  the 
past.     Confucianism,   the   Chinese   system   of   ethics, 


^  Even  to-day  it  is  not  uncommon  for  girls  to  be  sold  or 
lent  to  brothel  keepers  in  order  to  help  their  families  when 
in  financial  straits.  The  notorious  geisha  girls  of  Japan  are 
practically  higher  class  prostitutes;  and  the  saddest  feature 
of  the  system  is  the  fact  that  public  sentiment  is  so  callous 
that  the  geisha  are  not  only  condoned  but  boasted  of. 


40  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

based  upon  the  five  human  relations  and  ignoring  the 
godward  duties  of  man,  confines  itself  to  the  present 
life.  Popular  Buddhism,  with  its  religious  worship, 
its  sensuous  Nirvana,  its  many  gods  and  superstitious 
rites,  places  its  emphasis  upon  the  future  life.  The 
people  of  Japan  have  been  affected  by  all  three  re- 
ligions, receiving  their  patriotism  from  Shinto,  their 
morals  from  Confucianism,  and  their  religious  hopes 
and  fears  from  Buddhism. 

Debasing  Religious  Elements.  Morally  and  re- 
ligiously, the  old  era  was  darkened  by  much  that  was 
debasing  in  the  national  religions.  We  gladly  recog- 
nize every  ray  of  light,  every  truth  of  these  religions, 
but  their  utter  inadequacy  is  revealed  in  the  conditions 
of  old  Japan.  Shinto,  the  national  religion,  is  with- 
out a  definite  moral  code  or  any  hope  of  immortality. 
Confucianism  worships  the  past  and  the  established 
order,  while  even  in  Buddhism  the  aim  is  not  progress 
or  redemption  but  only  escape  from  life.  Sadly  de- 
generated from  the  noble  life  and  high  aims  of  Gotama 
and  mingled  with  a  mass  of  corrupt  superstition.  Bud- 
dhism has  produced  in  most  of  its  priests  throughout 
Asia  all  the  ignorance  and  some  of  the  nameless  vices 
recorded  in  the  first  chapter  of  Romans.  Even  at  the 
present  time  Baron  Kato,  the  former  President  of  the 
Imperial  University,  says :  '*  Buddhism  is  worthless, 
because  the  vast  majority  of  the  army  of  priests  are  so 
corrupt.  Christian  preachers,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
few  in  number,  but  in  character  they  far  surpass  the 
priests ;  indeed,  they  are  almost  all  good  men.  .  .  .  The 
[Buddhist]   priests  are  indeed  a  rotten  set  and  they 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  41 

themselves  have  the  greatest  need  for  reformation. 
They  are  absolutely  unable  to  save  the  masses,  and 
are  moreover  a  peril  to  society." 

Lack  Basis  for  Progress  and  Morality.  Without 
the  three  Christian  interpretations  of  God,  man,  and 
eternal  life,  to  which  reference  was  made  in  our  first 
chapter,  the  old  religions  of  Japan  offer  no  ade- 
quate basis  for  human  progress  or  the  highest  morality. 
Hearn,  in  his  Japan,  An  Interpretation,  states  that 
''  The  real  religion  of  Japan,  the  religion  still  professed 
in  one  form  or  another  by  the  entire  nation  is  .  .  . 
ancestor-worship."  And  ancestor-worship  alone 
means  petrifaction  and  arrested  development. 

Unfavorable  Heritage  from  the  Past.  The  visitor 
to  Japan  must  observe  that  the  country  has  been  pro- 
foundly influenced  both  by  Christianity  and  by  West- 
ern civilization.  There  is,  however,  one  deep-seated 
defect,  one  vein  of  weakness  in  the  present  civihza- 
tion  of  Japan.  This  is  indeed  but  a  survival  of  the  old 
paganism,  whether  the  paganism  of  early  Japan  or  that 
imported  with  Western  materialism.  When  Japan 
entered  upon  the  new  era  her  emphasis  was  upon  the 
material  and  outward,  and  from  this  material  vein, 
which  runs  throughout  almost  her  entire  civilization, 
nearly  all  the  defects  of  Japan  can  be  traced. 
The  Church  also  must  bear  its  full  share  of  the  re- 
sponsibility in  that  it  did  not  adequately  press  its  ad- 
vantage in  the  days  when  Japan  was  so  marvelously 
open  and  responsive  to  Christian  missions.  We  may 
well  afford,  however,  to  judge  Japan  generously  in 
her  shortcomings,  remembering  all  too  painfully  our 


42  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

own.  As  Dr.  Gulick,  in  his  Evolution  of  the  Japanese, 
points  out,  the  characteristics  of  the  Japanese  are 
sociological  rather  than  biological,  that  is,  they  are 
rather  the  result  of  their  past  training  and  environ- 
ment than  the  inherent  racial  tendencies  of  the  nation. 
In  the  last  analysis  we  are  all  brothers  before  God, 
with  the  same  human  nature,  capable  of  yielding  to 
the  same  temptations  under  an  unfavorable  environ- 
ment, capable  of  being  uplifted  and  saved  by  the  same 
gospel  if  we  receive  the  truth  that  God  has  for  the 
world.  Centuries  of  isolation,  warring  feudaUsm,  and 
repressive  Buddhism  have  left  the  Japanese  in  an  at- 
titude of  suspicion  toward  the  foreigner,  and  of  re- 
serve even  toward  each  other.  But  an  intelligent 
study  of  conditions  in  Japan  not  only  fills  one  with 
appreciation  for  her  brilliant  accomplishments,  but 
with  sympathy  for  her  limitations  and  shortcomings. 
We  have  no  right  to  demand  perfection  of  a  nation 
which  has  made  more  rapid  progress  in  the  last  forty 
years  than  perhaps  any  other  people  in  history  in  an 
equal  time.  For  they  are  not  half  a  century  removed 
from  feudalism. 

Naturalism  and  Materialism.  Nevertheless,  the 
weak  point  of  Japan  is  naturalism  and  materialism, 
and  this,  introduced  at  the  very  beginning  of  its  mod- 
ern period  is  bearing  its  multiplied  fruit  in  the  present, 
and  bids  fair  to  reach  far  into  the  future.  Refusing 
for  the  most  part  to  receive  the  Christian  principles 
that  lay  at  the  foundation  of  Western  civilization, 
Japan  sought  to  receive  the  outward  forms  of  that 
civilization  without  its  inward  power  and  principles. 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  43 

She  tried  to  hold  the  new  wine  in  the  old  wineskins 
of  her  own  religious  faiths  or  the  outworn  creeds  of 
materialism.  Japan  has  accepted  from  the  West  the 
spirit  of  the  age,  without  the  religion  which  can  alone 
control  and  satisfy  the  high  demands  of  that  spirit. 
As  one  leading  Japanese  says :  "  We  have  accepted  a 
great  machine  of  Western  civilization,  but  we  have 
not  the  moral  oil  with  which  to  run  it."  Count 
Okuma,  the  former  Premier,  says :  ''  The  fatal  defect 
of  the  teaching  of  the  great  sages  of  Japan  and  China 
is  that  while  they  deal  with  virtue  and  morals  they 
do  not  sufficiently  dwell  on  the  spiritual  nature  of 
man,  and  any  nation  that  neglects  the  spiritual,  though 
it  may  flourish  for  a  time,  must  eventually  decay. 
The  origin  of  modern  civilization  is  to  be  found  in 
the  teachings  of  the  sage  of  Judea,  by  whom  alone 
the  necessary  moral  dynamic  is  supplied." 

Drift  toward  Unbelief.  Owing  in  part  to  this  ma- 
terialistic vein  Japan  has  not  thrown  herself  as  whole- 
heartedly into  Christianity  as  Korea  has  done.  With 
the  liberty  of  the  new  age  and  its  emphasis  upon  in- 
dividualism came  also  a  dangerous  license.  Men  often 
lost  faith  in  the  old  religions  without  accepting  the 
new,  so  that  numbers  of  educated  men  turned  to 
Western  agnosticism  and  materialism.  According  to 
a  careful  estimate  concerning  religious  beliefs  of  the 
students  of  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo,  made 
by  one  familiar  with  their  religious  life,  450  are  said 
to  be  adherents  of  Shinto  and  Buddhism,  and  sixty  of 
Christianity,  while  some  1,500  are  said  to  be  professed 
atheists  and   some   3,000  agnostics.     Many  of  these 


44  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

latter,  however,  are  unconsciously  religious  and  are 
more  responsive  to  the  religious  appeal  than  these  fig- 
ures would  indicate. 

Seam  of  Weakness.  Thus  we  have  seen  that  this 
vein  of  materialism  accentuated  in  the  early  period  of 
the  modern  era  runs  through  almost  the  whole  life 
of  Japan.  It  is  a  seam  of  weakness  in  political,  eco- 
nomic, educational,  social,  moral,  and  religious  life. 

Reaction  of  the  Nineties.  This  vein  of  material- 
ism may  be  traced  back  to  Confucian  influence  for  its 
origin,  but  it  received  its  final  impetus  in  the  reaction 
against  Christianity  and  Christian  civilization  in  the 
nineties. 

Development  of  Protestant  Missions.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  the  history  of  Protestant  missions 
in  the  country  falls  naturally  into  four  clearly  marked 
periods,  i.  From  1859  to  1879  was  the  period  of 
laborious  preparation  and  of  seed-sowing,  during 
the  greater  part  of  which  Christianity  was  an  illegal 
and  prohibited  religion.  2.  In  1872  the  prohibitory 
edicts  against  Christianity  were  removed,  and  from 
1879  to  1890  was  the  period  of  popularity  and  of 
rapid  advance.  During  this  time  the  Japanese  in 
their  enthusiasm  for  Western  civilization  contemplated 
receiving  Christianity  for  its  political  and  material 
benefits.  3.  From  1890  to  1900  came  the  anti-foreign 
reaction,  caused  in  part  by  strained  relations  with  the 
Western  nations  regarding  revision  of  the  treaties, 
and  a  desperate  effort  was  made  to  revive  the  old 
religions  of  Japan.  4.  From  1900,  and  especially 
since  the  war  with  Russia  in  1904-05,  Christianity  has 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  45 

entered  upon  a  period  of  natural  and  normal  growth. 
It  is  now  being  more  and  more  studied  with  open 
mind  and  is  being  received  upon  its  own  merits. 

Lost  Opportunity.  This  reaction  which  the  Chris- 
tian movement  in  Japan  suffered  between  1890  and 
1900  could,  as  Mr.  Galen  M.  Fisher  points  out,  have 
been  to  a  large  degree  prevented  if  the  missionaries 
and  their  supporters  in  the  homeland  had  been  able  to 
understand  the  causes  of  the  reaction  as  they  do 
to-day.     They  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 

1.  Swing  from  Foreign  to  Native.  A  natural 
swinging  of  the  pendulum  back  from  an  excessive  es- 
timate of  everything  Western  to  an  equally  excessive 
estimate  of  everything  native.  This  included  the  dis- 
counting of  foreign  missionaries  and  of  their  message. 

2.  Contrast  of  Ideal  and  Real.  A  great  shock 
was  i-eceived  from  the  naturalistic  and  atheistic  phi- 
losophy, and  from  the  materialistic  commercial  ideals 
of  the  West  in  sharp  antagonism  to  the  supernatural 
and  ideal  teachings  which  had  been  given  by  the  mis- 
sionaries. Included  in  these  was  the  shock  of  the 
disappointment  that  came  to  Japanese  who  traveled 
abroad,  and  saw  the  contrast  between  actual  ethical 
conditions  in  America  and  Europe,  and  the  ideal  con- 
ditions which  they  supposed  existed  in  lands  which 
they  had  imagined  were  entirely  Christian. 

3.  Delight  in  Liberalism.  A  sudden  breaking  away 
from  the  orthodox  theological  and  Biblical  teaching 
which  had  been  given  by  the  early  missionaries,  and 
a  sophomoric  delight  in  the  liberal  and  somewhat  de- 
structive theological  and  Biblical  theories  which  Japa- 


46  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

nese  who  went  abroad  in  the  eighties  met  in  the  West, 
or  read  about  in  imported  books. 

4.  External  Faith.  The  espousing  of  Christianity 
by  not  a  few  patriotic  Japanese  as  an  easy  panacea 
for  all  social  and  national  ills.  In  other  words,  they 
accepted  Christianity  to  meet  patriotic  rather  than 
personal  needs,  or  because  of  its  appeal  to  their  in- 
tellect without  any  corresponding  change  of  heart,  and 
when  they  found  that  Christianity  would  not  produce 
magical  results  for  the  nation  except  through  the  in- 
dividual, they  experienced  deep  disappointment. 

Guarding  against  Weaknesses.  All  of  these 
weaknesses  could  have  been  guarded  against  could 
they  have  been  foreseen,  but  without  now  intending 
to  utter  one  word  of  criticism  of  the  noble  men  and 
women  who  lived  up  to  the  light  they  had,  it  is  in- 
cumbent on  us  to  take  to  heart  the  lessons  learned 
by  experience  in  Japan.  This  is  particularly  impor- 
tant in  lands  where  missionary  work  is  just  now  enter- 
ing upon  the  stages  already  passed  through  in  Japan; 
for  example,  in  China  and  Korea.  The  ways  of  cor- 
recting or  preventing  these  evils  are  obvious.  Some 
of  them  may  be  enumerated  by  taking  up  the  reasons 
mentioned  above,  as  follows: 

I.  Preserving  Native  Basis.  Let  missionaries  be 
especially  careful  to  prevent  new  converts  from  throw- 
ing overboard  everything  native,  the  good  with  the 
bad,  but  rather  show  how  Christianity  can  reclaim  and 
purify  that  which  has  been  abused  or  corrupted.  Let 
Christianity  be  built  upon  the  established  customs  and 
institutions  of  the  country  in  so  far  as  they  are  not 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  47 

positively  wrong.     Let  us  guard  against  denationaliz- 
ing and  Westernizing  converts. 

2.  Apologetic  Work.  A  strong  apologetic  litera- 
ture should  be  created,  and  the  periodical  and  daily 
press  should  be  utilized  to  present  Christianity,  not 
only  in  its  simple  form,  but  in  its  relation  to  scientific 
and  philosophic  thought.  Furthermore,  the  ablest 
apologetic  and  philosophic  leaders  of  the  West  should 
be  sent  on  lecturing  tours  to  mission  lands. 

3.  Up-to-Date  Teaching.  Missionaries  and  Japa- 
nese teachers  should  teach  essential  and  historic 
Christianity  without  insisting  upon  the  theological 
formulae  prevalent  in  the  West.  At  the  same  time, 
they  should  keep  abreast  of  the  latest  thought  in 
various  realms  as  it  bears  upon  Christian  doctrine. 
It  is  utterly  futile  to  attempt  to  keep  native  preachers 
and  laymen  ignorant  of  the  various  theories  and 
movements  prevailing  in  the  West. 

4.  Social  and  National  Issues.  In  the  earlier 
days  not  only  the  missionaries  but  the  Churches 
as  well  throughout  the  West  laid  almost  exclusive 
stress  upon  individual  salvation  and  almost  ignored 
the  application  of  Christianity  to  social  and  national 
problems.  It  is  unfortunate  that  they  did  not  more 
clearly  show  that  there  is  no  country  in  the  West 
which  is  more  than  half  Christianized.  It  would  also 
have  been  desirable  for  Christian  teachers  to  assure 
the  Japanese  that  the  veneration  for  ancestors  and 
for  the  imperial  house  was  by  no  means  necessarily 
discordant  with  true  Christian  faith  and  life,  but  that 
it  was  rather  purified  and  exalted  by  Christianity. 


48  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Higher  Christian  Education.  In  addition  to  the 
various  points  mentioned  above,  it  should  be  said  that 
one  of  the  fundamental  weaknesses  of  Christianity  in 
Japan  is  the  lack  of  a  higher  system  of  Christian 
schools  and  colleges.  In  the  early  years  of  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  country  this  was  not  true,  because 
until  1890  Christian  educational  institutions  were  on 
the  whole  of  as  high  grade  as  the  government  institu- 
tions ;  but  since  then  they  have  fallen  steadily  behind. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  not  only  possible  but  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  the  lost  ground  should  be  recovered. 
To  this  end  the  most  important  single  step  is  the  crea- 
tion in  Tokyo  of  an  interdenominational  Christian 
preparatory  or  junior  college,  and  a  first-class  Chris- 
tian university. 

Lessons  for  Other  Fields.  It  is  especially  desir- 
able that  we  should  learn  these  lessons  from  Japan 
in  view  of  the  conditions  in  other  mission  fields. 
Korea  is  just  ending  a  period  of  seven  years  of  plenty. 
China  is  just  entering  upon  such  a  period.  India  is 
in  the  midst  of  a  period  of  prosperity  in  the  mass 
movements  connected  with  the  low-caste  work,  but 
has  not  yet  entered  a  time  of  plenty  in  the  high-caste 
work.  In  each  of  these  countries  we  may  forestall 
the  danger  by  taking  to  heart  the  lessons  forced  upon 
us  by  the  period  of  reaction  in  Japan. 

Growth  of  Christianity.  The  growth  of  the  Chris- 
tion  Church  has  been  marked.  Think  of  the  growth 
of  the  last  fifty  years.^     The  number  of  missionaries 

1  See  pamphlet  by  Clement  and  Fisher,  "Japan  To-day  and 
To-morrow." 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  49 

has  increased  during  this  period  from  10  to  over 
900;  the  Christians  from  none  to  189,000,  including 
66,689  Roman  CathoHc  and  32,246  Greek  CathoUc 
Christians,  while  the  Christian  community  of  adher- 
ents is  two  or  three  times  as  large  as  this.^  The  Sun- 
day-schools grew  from  none  to  1,600,  with  100,000  chil- 
dren under  instruction.  A  leading  Japanese  estimates 
that  '*  there  are  in  Japan  a  million  persons  who  are 
fashioning  their  conduct  according  to  the  principles  of 
Jesus  Christ."  Fifty  years  ago  there  was  no  Bible 
in  public  circulation;  to-day  its  circulation  is  num- 
bered by  millions.  Then  there  was  hardly  a  hospital  or 
asylum  in  the  land.  Christianity  has  been  the  pioneer 
in  establishing  homes,  hospitals,  refuges  for  the  poor, 
the  blind,  the  fatherless,  the  insane,  the  leper,  the  out- 
cast, and  the  criminal.  Such  institutions  were  prac- 
tically unknown  in  old  Japan.  Revenge  was  one  of 
the  cardinal  virtues  of  Bushido,  the  moral  code  of  the 
tipper  classes,  but  new  Japan  praises  Christianity  for 
its  philanthropic  fruits,  and  the  adherents  of  the  older 
faiths  pay  the  tribute  of  imitation. 

Position  of  the  Church.  The  Christian  Church  in 
Japan  to-day  is  characterized  by  strong  independence, 
advance  in  self-support,  a  liberal  theology,  strong 
character,  the  high  social  influence  and  education  of 
the  Christian  community,  and  by  the  unity  and  coop- 
eration   among    the    various    Christian    communions. 


^  When  the  late  Emperor  Miitsuhito  took  the  Charter  Oath 
in  1868  there  were  but  four  Japanese  Protestant  Christians ; 
at  his  death  in  1912  there  were  83,638. — Christian  Movement 
in  Japan,  1912. 


50  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Only  one  two-hundred-and-fiftieth  part  of  the  popu- 
lation, the  Christians  are  supporting  one-quarter  of 
the  organized  benevolence  of  the  empire,  with  four 
times  their  proportion  in  the  various  sessions  of  the 
Imperial  Diet ;  furnishing  prominent  editors,  admirals, 
officers  of  the  army,  statesmen,  officials,  and  writers. 
Throughout  Japan  the  Christian  religion  has  thus  far 
been  distinguished  even  more  for  quality  than  for 
quantity. 

Applied  Christianity.  The  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity also  have  been  widely  adopted  throughout  the 
nation.  Men's  ideas  of  God  have  now  set  in  the  molds 
of  Christian  thought.  There  is  a  widespread  accept- 
ance of  the  doctrine  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God,  the 
brotherhood  of  man,  and  of  the  worth  of  human  life. 
The  Christian  agitation  for  temperance  and  purity 
has  had  a  far-reaching  effect.  Baron  Kato,  called  the 
"Thomas  Paine  of  Japan,"  writes:  "After  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Yoshiwara  licensed  quarters  in  Tokyo,  the 
Christians  stirred  up  wide  public  discussion  of  the 
abolition  of  licensed  prostitution.  I  detest  Chris- 
tianity, but  I  heartily  approve  their  agitation  of  this 
abolition  question.  Although  there  is  licensed  prosti- 
tution in  every  city,  yet  our  educators  and  educational 
magazines  never  uttered  a  syllable  nor  wrote  a  line 
in  opposition  to  it."  The  agitation  of  the  Christians 
to  free  the  captives  of  "  the  white  slave  traffic  "  of 
Japan  finally  compelled  the  Diet  to  pass  "  a  free  cessa- 
tion law,"  so  that  more  than  ten  thousand  women  left 
this  iniquitous  business  within  a  year.  In  Neesima's 
own  province  the  brothels  have  been  banished  and 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  51 

licensed  prostitution  excluded,  as  the  result  of  per- 
sistent agitation  by  daring  Christian  men.  The  moral 
tone  of  the  province  is  much  above  the  average. 

Verbal  Evidence  of  Christian  Influence.  Old 
words  have  taken  on  new  meanings  as  the  result  of 
Christian  teaching.  The  words  for  God  and  love  have 
been  enriched  with  deeper  significance,  while  the 
words  for  sacrifice,  personality,  character,  church,  re- 
ligion, eternal  life,  duty,  rights,  responsibility,  society, 
liberty,  etc.,  have  been  coined  to  express  Christian 
ideas.  Constitutional  government  itself  in  Japan  is 
the  result  of  Christian  civilization.  "  The  various 
church  assemblies  have  been  training-schools  in  par- 
liamentary procedure  and  representative  government.'" 
Indeed,  do  not  the  fundamental  principles  of  liberty 
and  democracy  find  their  ultimate  source  in  Jesus' 
idea  of  the  value  of  the  soul?  And  may  not  all  that 
is  best  in  the  modern  conceptions  of  "  liberty,  equality, 
and  fraternity "  be  traced  back,  as  one  has  done, 
through  the  Reformation  to  the  great  Liberator  of 
man? 

Statement  of  Count  Okuma.  Count  Okuma,  the 
former  Premier  of  Japan,  writing  in  the  International 
Review  of  Missions,  October,  1912,  says :  ''  We  Japa- 
nese for  the  past  generation  have  been  so  absorbed 
in  the  struggle  for  existence,  both  individually  and 
nationally,  that  we  have  hardly  had  time  to  attend  to 
the  interests  of  the  higher  life.  We  have  attempted 
to  master  centuries  of  Western  development  in  a  few- 
decades.  But  although  we  have  paid  too  little  atten- 
tion to  the  problems  of  religion,  we  have  not  been  un-r 


52  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

influenced  by  religious  ideals.  For  example,  although 
Christianity  has  enrolled  less  than  200,000  believers, 
yet  the  indirect  influence  of  Christianity  has  poured 
into  every  realm  of  Japanese  life.  .  .  .  Japan  received 
Buddhism  and  Confucianism  from  India,  China,  and 
Korea,  and  under  their  influence  she  declined.  But 
under  the  impact  of  Western  civilized  thought, 
Japan  has  revived.  China  and  India  have  pined  under 
the  old  faiths.  It  is  clear  that  their  only  hope  is  to 
follow  the  example  of  Japan  and  welcome  Western 
thought." 

Profound  Need  of  Christianity.  The  brilliant 
achievements  that  Japan  has  already  made,  as  well 
as  her  deep  need  to-day,  constitute  a  call  to  Christen- 
dom. Count  Okuma  says :  "  We  are  face  to  face  with 
many  deplorable  conditions.  Our  country  is  a  very 
sick  man;  it  is  hopeless  to  look  to  politics  or  even  to 
education  alone  to  cure  him."  Mr.  Clement  and  Mr. 
Fisher,  two  of  the  younger  missionary  leaders  of 
Japan,  say :  "  The  above  confession  throws  a  side- 
light on  the  pathos  of  the  situation.  Among  all! 
classes  the  growing  contempt  for  the  old  faiths,  the 
thirst  for  wealth,  and  the  indiscriminate  adoption  of 
individualistic  and  naturalistic  thought  from  the  Occi- 
dent are  quite  disquieting  facts,  and  facts  that  cannot 
be  blinked.  They  point  irresistibly  to  the  need  of 
Christianity.  .  .  .  First,  with  all  of  Japan's  virtues 
there  is  a  seamy  side  to  her  lining,  whether  social, 
industrial,  moral,  or  political,  so  seamy  that  no  Japa- 
nese thinker  has  yet  suggested  any  thoroughgoing 
remedy    which   does    not    imply    Christianity.      How 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  53 

serious  the  situation  is  a  single  fact  will  indicate.  In 
February,  1912,  the  Home  Minister  took  the  un- 
precedented measure  of  calling  together  representa- 
tives of  Buddhism,  Shinto,  and  Christianity,  in  order 
to  enlist  the  forces  of  religion  in  staying  the  moral 
ravages  of  materialism  and  irreligion.  The  step  had 
the  approval  of  the  Cabinet  and  the  elder  statesmen. 
This  prominent  recognition  of  Christianity  shows  that 
Japanese  statesmen  realize  on  the  one  hand  the  inad- 
equacy of  Buddhism  and  Shinto,  and  on  the  other  hand 
the  vigor  and  the  adaptation  of  Christianity  to  Japan's 
needs.  .  .  .  Christianity  is  Japan's  ultimate  hope." 

Demonstrated  Need.  Japan  still  needs  the  help  of 
these  Christian  nations,  indeed  the  day  has  passed 
when  nations  can  live  unto  themselves  or  by  them- 
selves alone.  It  is  said  that  to-day  about  two  thirds 
or  thirty-four  millions  of  the  people  have  never 
heard  Christian  preaching.  The  962  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries and  seven  hundred  ordained  Japanese  pas- 
tors are  insufficient  to  reach  this  vast  multitude. 
Only  one  in  275  ^  of  the  people  are  Christians,  as 
compared  to  one  in  three  in  the  United  States. 
While  there  are  90,000  Protestant  Christians  in 
Japan,  they  are  faced  by  an  army  of  67,000 
Buddhist  and  Shinto  priests.  A  limited  number 
of  strong  and  carefully  selected  missionaries  are 
needed  for  Japan;  men  strong  in  intellect,  in  sym- 
pathy, and  in  service.  As  President  Harada  of  the 
Doshisha  University  says :  '*  Some  may  ask  whether 

'  These  figures  include  Roman  Catholic,  Greek  Catholic,  and 
Protestant  Christians. 


54  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

there  is  need  of  increasing  the  missionary  force  at 
all,  and  to  this  I  unhesitatingly  answer,  *  Yes.'  Japa- 
nese leaders  emphasize,  and  rightly,  that  Japan  wants 
only  carefully  selected  missionaries,  spiritual  prophets, 
intellectual  experts,  social  service  engineers.  And 
with  equal  insistence  and  equal  wisdom  they  plead 
for  money  from  the  West." 

Interior  Masses  Unreached.  The  striking  need 
of  Japan  for  Christian  effort  in  the  untouched  in- 
terior, which  missions  have  heretofore  left  for  the 
native  Church,  forms  one  of  the  most  significant  ele- 
ments in  the  religious  situation  in  Japan.  The  rural 
population  forms  80  per  cent,  of  the  whole.  Obviously, 
the  struggling  native  Church  in  a  country  so  poor  as 
Japan  cannot  be  saddled  at  once  with  this  unfinished 
task  of  our  missionary  enterprise.  Both  men  and 
money  must  be  sent,  with  a  larger  consecration  than 
ever  before.  No  country  can  be  said  to  have  been 
evangelized,  or  to  have  entered  the  new  era  religiously, 
in  which  the  new  enlightenment  has  been  denied  the 
masses.  And  no  national  religious  situation  can  hope 
to  advance  greatly  without  the  prophets  and  reform- 
ers, the  native  leaders,  who  have  always  been  drawn 
from  the  country-bred,  interior  people,  hitherto  un- 
sought by  the  Christian  forces  in  Japan.  In  772  towns, 
with  a  population  of  over  5,000  each,  there  are  foreign 
workers  in  about  100,  and  Japanese  workers  in  about 
100  more,  while  over  500  towns  and  thousands  of 
surrounding  villages  are  untouched. 

Rival  Forces.  Two  forces  are  at  present  contend- 
ing for  the  possession  of  Japan:  the  one  pagan,  the 


The  New  Era  in  Japan  55 

other  Christian;  the  one  material,  the  other  spiritual; 
the  one  for  Christ,  the  other  against  him.  Professor 
Nitobe  well  says :  "  At  present  one  perceives  in  the 
Orient  two  currents  of  thought  flowing  from  the  Occi- 
dent, molding  the  rising  generation.  One  is  derived 
from  the  continent  of  Europe,  especially  from  Slavic 
and  Romance  literature  and  art,  making  for  skepticism 
and  decadence,  often  pessimistic,  negative,  and  de- 
structive; the  other,  derived  from  the  indefatigable 
spirit  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  constructive,  robust, 
forever  ready  to  be  up  and  doing  with  a  '  heart  within 
and  God  o'erhead.'  "  We  must  see  to  it,  as  Dr.  Mott 
says,  that  we  Christianize  the  impact  of  the  West 
upon  the  East,  and  enable  the  Christian  forces  to 
predominate  for  the  saving  of  Japan. 

Call  to  Christian  North  America.  As  has  been 
well  said :  "  Japan  is  Christianity's  '  Port  Arthur '  in 
the  Far  East.  If  it  cannot  win  Japan,  it  cannot  win 
and  hold  China.  Shall  Japan  be  an  ally  or  an  enemy  in 
the  conquest  of  the  Orient?  The  call  is  for  reenforce- 
ments  of  men  and  means  from  the  Christians  of  North 
America,  now,  while  it  is  day.  The  summons  is  to 
a  crusade,  not  for  the  slaughter  of  Saracens  and  the 
conquest  of  an  empty  tomb,  but  for  the  giving  of  life 
to  a  people  of  magnificent  potentiality,  and  the  enlist- 
ing of  them  with  ourselves  under  the  banner  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace." 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  KOREA 


Ill 

THE  NEW  ERA  IN  KOREA 

Renaissance  a  Method  of  Missions.  As  in  the  case 
of  Japan,  Korea  received  the  impulse  of  the  new  era 
from  without.  Secular  or  religious,  the  new  move- 
ment was  missionary  in  its  nature.  Japan  received 
her  impulse  from  America;  Korea  in  turn  from 
Japan;  China  from  the  combined  pressure  of  all  the 
foreign  powers;  India  chiefly  from  Britain;  Turkey 
from  the  Balkans  and  the  powers  of  Europe.  In  the 
same  way  Europe  received  her  first  impulse  from 
Asia,  Italy  from  Greece,  and  the  northern  nations  of 
Europe  received  the  inspiration  of  the  renaissance 
from  Italy.  The  world  was  made  for  missions,  for 
service.     Freely  we  have  received;  let  us  freely  give. 

Survey  of  the  Past.  Let  us  first  of  all  rapidly 
survey  Korea's  past  history  and  the  conditions  that 
obtained  under  the  old  era.  We  will  then  be  in  a 
position  to  study  the  present  political  reconstruction 
and  note  its  probable  results.  The  people  are  the 
product  of  centuries  of  oppression,  with  all  the  virtues 
and  vices  of  this  condition.  A  representative  Korean 
described  their  characteristics  as  those  of  patience, 
resignation,  gentleness,  docility,  good  nature,  and  im- 
providence. They  are  hospitable,  affectionate,  sym- 
pathetic.   Indeed,  Korea  is  called  the  *'  Land  of  Sym- 

59 


6o  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

pathy."  The  people  are  rich  in  their  capacity  for 
friendship,  poetic,  lovers  of  nature,  bright,  with  dis- 
tinct literary  gifts,  but  suffering  from  the  result  of 
centuries  of  relative  idleness  with  no  incentive  to 
work.  In  the  old  days  why  should  a  man  work,  only 
to  have  his  property  seized  by  the  government  or  to 
be  cast  into  jail  to  pay  the  debts  of  his  improvident 
relatives?  The  faults  of  the  Koreans  are,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Japanese,  sociological  rather  than  biologi- 
cal; they  are  the  result  of  their  environment.  Under 
a  stable  government,  with  the  people  compelled  to 
work,  and  able  to  retain  the  rewards  of  their  labor, 
the  conditions  will  rapidly  improve. 

Governmental  Corruption  and  Extortion.  The 
former  government  of  Korea  almost  beggars  descrip- 
tion. The  writer  cannot  do  better  than  to  state  con- 
ditions as  they  were  told  to  him  by  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian patriot,  himself  a  Korean,  who  was  an  official 
under  the  old  regime.  He  states  that  the  former 
government  for  the  last  forty  years  was  almost  des- 
titute of  every  good  principle.  The  Emperor,  kindly 
but  weak,  corrupt,  and  selfish,  did  everything  to  ruin 
the  country.  Money  was  extorted  from  the  rich. 
False  charges  were  preferred  against  them,  they  were 
cast  into  jail,  tortured  to  extort  some  confession,  and 
released  only  on  payment  of  a  large  bribe  or  fine. 
All  the  offices  were  sold  and  every  office  had  its  price. 
Extortion  was  common.  No  Korean  felt  safe  with 
regard  to  life  and  property.  Many  died  in  prison. 
Had  even  part  of  the  money  thus  extorted  been  de- 
voted to  the  development  of  public  works,  or  to  the 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  6i 

general  welfare,  it  might  have  been  pardonable,  but 
practically  all  of  it  went  into  the  pockets  of  the  offi- 
cials. The  Emperor  stole  from  the  rich  within  reach 
of  the  capital,  the  governors  extorted  from  the  promi- 
nent men  of  their  provinces,  while  petty  officials  seized 
whatever  was  left.  The  condition  of  the  peasants  and 
the  farmers  was  most  pitiable.  If  a  man  was  found 
with  a  yoke  of  oxen  or  a  little  property,  he  could  be 
seized  for  the  debts  of  all  his  profligate  relatives;  or 
the  officials  would  forcibly  confer  upon  him  some 
empty  title  like  that  of  "  Royal  Grave  Keeper,"  and 
compel  him  to  sell  his  oxen  or  his  property  to  pay  for 
his  title,  until  finally  there  were  more  grave  keepers 
than  graves  to  keep.  There  could  be  no  patriotism 
under  such  a  government  and  such  an  Emperor.  The 
old  government,  this  Korean  official  stated,  was  the 
worst  in  Asia,  and  as  bad  as  that  of  Turkey.^ 

Low  Economic  Condition.  Economically,  the 
country  was  left  poor,  bankrupt,  and  in  debt.  Daily 
wages  ran  from  ten  to  twenty  cents.  Almost  every 
man  was  in  debt,  and  rates  of  interest  were  from  ten 
to  twelve  per  cent,  a  month  two  decades  ago.  This 
has  now  fallen  to  from  one  to  four  per  cent,  a  month, 
and  is  growing  less.  Labor  was  considered  degrading. 
Superstition  prevented  the  opening  up  of  mines  and 

*  Mr.  Gale  says :  "  Reform  was  stamped  out.  The  best 
and  most  enlightened  men  were  shut  up  in  prison.  It  was 
a  fight  on  the  part  of  the  old  Emperor,  single-handed,  against 
his  own  people,  against  the  onrolling  centuries,  with  the 
Japanese  accompanying." 

A  Korean  said  of  the  Emperor :  "  He  handcuffed  us,  he 
robbed  us,  he  paddled  us,  he  hanged  and  quartered  us,  he 
lived  for  himself  alone  and  for  his  worn-out  superstitions." 


62  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

the  development  of  the  country.     Disease  was  rife, 
owing  to  filthy  and  insanitary  conditions. 

Japan  Obtains  Control.  Having  reviewed  the  de- 
pressing conditions  that  were  found  under  the  old 
era,  we  are  now  in  a  position  to  observe  the  present 
political  reconstruction  under  the  Japanese  govern- 
ment, and  to  forecast  its  probable  results.  This 
proverbial  "  Land  of  the  Morning  Calm "  and  of 
peaceful  improvidence,  has  become  in  recent  centuries 
the  storm  center  of  the  Far  East.  Lying  between 
Japan,  Manchuria,  and  China,  it  has  been  at  once  the 
buffer  and  the  battle-ground  of  the  surrounding 
states.  Korea  has  been  increasingly  the  bone  of  con- 
tention between  China  and  Japan  on  the  one  hand 
and  between  Russia  and  Japan  on  the  other.  China 
looked  upon  her  as  her  ancient  vassal  and  rightful 
possession.  Japan  saw  in  Korea  her  base  upon  the 
mainland  and  the  most  favorable  opening  for  her 
rapidly  extending  population,  which,  in  self-preserva- 
tion must  find  some  outlet.  It  seemed  imperative  to 
Japan  that  sooner  or  later  she  must  possess  this  long- 
coveted  prize.  The  old  Emperor,  Yi  Hiung,  who  had 
been  the  thirty-first  in  the  direct  line  of  succession 
from  the  founder  of  the  dynasty  which  stretched  back 
to  1392,  had  ascended  the  throne  in  1864.  Imme- 
diately after  the  Russo-Japanese  war,  Japan's  first 
act  was  to  occupy  Korea  by  establishing  a  virtual 
protectorate.  In  1905  Japan  sent  there  her  ablest 
statesman  as  Resident-General,  who  had  done  so 
much  to  shape  her  own  wise  policy,  Marquis,  later 
Prince  Ito.     Failing  to  recognize  that  the  control  of 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  63 

Japan  was  inevitable,  the  old  Emperor  turned  his 
palace  into  a  place  of  intrigue  against  the  Japanese. 
The  climax  was  reached  in  1907  when  the  Emperor 
sent  a  delegation  to  the  International  Conference  at 
the  Hague  to  secure  the  interference  of  Western  na- 
tions in  the  affairs  of  Korea.  Pathetic  as  was  their 
plea,  the  Hague  commissioners  could  not  receive  the 
Korean  emissaries.  At  last,  on  July  18,  1907,  the 
Emperor  was  compelled  to  affix  his  signature  to  an 
imperial  decree  announcing  the  transfer  of  the  throne 
to  the  Crown  Prince  of  Korea.  A  storm  of  protest  at 
once  broke  from  patriotic  Koreans.  But  Japanese 
troops  quelled  the  disturbance.  On  July  24  the  cor- 
rupt Korean  official,  Yi  Wan  Yong,  under  the  author- 
ity of  Marquis  Ito,  signed  an  agreement  at  the  Japa- 
nese residency  declaring  that  "  the  government  of 
Korea  shall  follow  the  directions  of  the  Resident-Gen- 
eral." Under  the  wise  guidance  of  Prince  Ito  reforms 
were  rapidly  inaugurated,  but  Japan  felt  that  she  did 
not  have  a  free  hand  and  finally  annexed  Korea  on 
August  23,  1910. 

Conditions  Under  Japanese  Rule.  As  we  recall 
these  dates  we  observe  how  recent  and  how  rapid  has 
been  Japan's  extension  of  her  complete  control  over 
the  "  hermit  nation."  It  also  convinces  us  that  the 
thorough  reconstruction  of  Korea  is  inevitable.  No 
unprejudiced  person  can  deny  that  under  Japanese  rule 
Korea  has  made  remarkable  material  progress.  On 
every  hand  new  and  substantial  buildings  are  rising. 
There  has  been  a  new  census  of  the  population  show- 
ing that  it  now  totals  13,299,699.     An  accurate  land 


64  '       The  New  Era  in  Asia 

survey  is  being  undertaken.  The  government  has 
been  reconstructed,  finances  have  been  placed  upon 
a  firm  footing,  peace  and  security  have  been  guaran- 
teed to  the  merchants  and  farmers.  There  has  been 
a  rapid  development  in  the  construction  of  railways, 
which  now  extend  over  600  miles.  Post-offices, 
telegraphs,  and  telephones  are  being  extended.  The 
trade  of  Korea  is  increasing.  The  exports  have 
doubled  within  five  years.  Agricultural  tools  and 
superior  seeds  and  young  plants  are  being  distributed 
to  some  of  the  farmers.  Agricultural  schools  are 
also  being  opened  in  each  province.  An  efficient 
school  system  has  been  organized.  The  government 
has  opened  or  subsidized  173  schools  with  20,121  pu- 
pils. Though  it  is  true  that  education  is  still  back- 
ward, the  number  of  children  attending  school  has 
trebled  in  three  years.  The  Korean  people,  despite 
the  galling  discipline  of  a  foreign  yoke,  are  growing 
stronger  and  more  prosperous,  as  well  as  more  unified 
and  patriotic.  At  the  same  time  it  is  impossible  not 
to  sympathize  with  the  natural,  patriotic  aspirations 
of  the  Korean  people.  It  is  true  that  their  material 
conditions  have  improved,  and  true  also  that  this  new 
national  consciousness  and  strong  feeling  of  patriotism 
has  arisen  chiefly  since  the  fall  of  the  old  and  corrupt 
regime.  Nevertheless,  how  would  the  people  of 
America  like  to  be  reformed  and  improved  by  a  con- 
quering nation?  How  hard  it  must  have  been  for  a 
patriotic  Israelite  to  see  any  possible  providential  good 
in  being  subjected  to  a  foreign  yoke  and  to  a  power 
which  had  less  religious  enlightenment  than  his  own! 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  65 

Improvements  Introduced.  Japan  is  introducing 
into  Korea  her  own  efficient  methods  in  sanitation,  in 
iisheries,  and  in  forestry,  the  last  being  sorely  needed 
upon  the  bare,  denuded  hills  of  the  peninsula.  The 
death-rate  is  being  steadily  reduced  under  Japanese 
medical  science.  The  system  of  justice  and  of  judicial 
procedure  introduced  by  the  government  of  Japan  is 
also  a  great  improvement  over  the  methods  in  vogue 
during  the  old  era  in  Korea. 

New  Material  Opportunities.  We  may  now  fore- 
cast the  probable  effects  of  the  Japanese  occupation 
of  Korea.  New  material  ambitions  will  be  created 
for  the  people  of  the  country.  Already  new  oppor- 
tunities in  business  have  opened  up  with  the  Japanese 
occupation.  With  greater  security  to  trade  many  of 
the  Koreans  are  beginning  to  make  money,  and  what 
they  make  is  now  their  own.  An  increasing  number 
of  positions  have  also  been  offered  to  Koreans  in  the 
Japanese  government  service.  Farmers  also  are  now 
more  prosperous. 

New  Intellectual  and  Moral  Standards.  New  in- 
tellectual and  moral  standards  will  be  introduced. 
Wider  horizons  will  be  opened  up  before  the  people, 
wrho,  no  longer  isolated  and  stagnant,  will  take  their 
place  in  the  knowledge  and  enterprise  and  broader 
interests  of  the  world. 

Danger  of  Secular  Drift.  But  the  occupation  of 
Japan  will  bring  with  it  not  only  material  advantages 
but  grave  dangers  as  well.  The  material  and  ap- 
parently successful  civilization  of  Japan  will  be  intro- 
duced, and  the  vein  of  materialism  which  we  have 


66  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

found  running  through  the  national  Ufe  of  Japan 
will  naturally  extend  throughout  the  governing  ser- 
vice in  Korea.    In  fact  it  has  already  done  so. 

Inadequate  School  Provision.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  the  education  introduced  by  Japan  will  be  both 
secular  and  insufficient.  It  is  to  be  said  in  defense 
of  Japan  that  she  has  had  but  a  short  time  to  improve 
conditions  in  Korea,  and  that  it  is  too  soon  to  judge 
of  her  educational  program,  but  government  educa- 
tion in  Korea  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  material  de- 
velopments. When  the  writer  was  last  in  Korea  only 
about  two  and  a  half  per  cent,  of  the  income  of  the 
government  was  spent  upon  education,  while  in  the 
Philippines  more  than  one  sixth  of  the  total  income 
was  spent  for  this  great  object.  As  against  20,121 
in  the  Korean  government  schools,  the  government 
in  the  Philippines  had  in  1910-11  over  600,000  or 
thirty  times  as  many  in  a  population  only  about 
half  that  of  Korea.  If  the  government  education  in- 
troduced by  Japan  is  both  secular  and  insufficient,  this 
constitutes  a  special  call  for  foreign  missions  to  pro- 
vide secondary  and  higher  education  for  the  people, 
and  to  supplement  the  secular  education  given  by 
Japan  by  the  spiritual  emphasis  which  missions  can 
give. 

Unique  Opening  for  Christian  Effort.  Not  only 
is  there  a  unique  opportunity  offered  to-day  in  the 
matter  of  education  in  Korea.  There  is  another  fact 
also  in  our  favor.  In  Japan,  China,  and  India  native 
patriotism  tends  to  bring  about  a  reaction  against  all 
Western  influence,  religion  included,  in  favor  of  the 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  ^y 

older  form  of  national  religions.  In  Korea,  however, 
the  tendency  of  patriotism  is  toward  a  welcoming  of 
all  Western  influence.  Consequently,  if  the  Japa- 
nese government  grants  the  people  real  religious  lib- 
erty Christianity  will  have  a  better  chance  in  Korea 
than  in  the  larger  countries  about  it. 

Peril  of  the  Social  Evil.  Japan  may  not  only  in- 
troduce into  Korea  the  danger  of  its  own  materialism 
and  its  secular  education,  but  also  of  the  social  evil 
which  is  so  widespread  in  Japan  itself.  The  bril- 
liantly lighted  "  red  light  district  "of  the  Yoshiwara 
stands  out  plainly  on  the  hillside  of  Seoul.  Soon 
after  the  Japanese  entered  Korea  there  were  to  be 
found  twice  as  many  immoral  women  among  the 
27,000  Japanese  then  in  the  capital  as  there  were 
Korean  women  in  the  same  corrupt  trade  among  the 
300,000  Koreans.  But  unfortunately  since  the  Japa- 
nese occupation  this  evil  has  spread  among  the  Ko- 
reans also.  In  fact,  in  every  Japanese  colony  and  con- 
cession throughout  the  East  the  social  evil  will  be 
found  in  disproportionate  excess.  In  some  Chinese 
cities,  for  instance,  where  they  are  making  a  heroic 
fight  against  opium,  the  Japanese  concessions  are  do- 
ing a  thriving  business  in  their  opium  dens  and  im- 
moral houses.  It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  the 
social  evil  so  prevalent  in  Japan  is  likely  to  be  ex- 
tended to  her  colonial  possessions  also. 

Call  for  Spiritual  Service.  In  a  word,  we  may 
look  to  Japan  to  supply  thoroughly  and  sufficiently 
the  material  needs  of  Korea.  It  is  for  us  to  help 
her  in  things  spiritual.     And  this  help  will  be  wel- 


68  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

corned  by  the  best  Christian  and  non-Christian  leaders 
of  Japan,  as  it  has  been  in  Japan  itself. 

Religious  Problem.  Having  reviewed  briefly  the 
political  reconstruction  and  its  probable  results  and 
dangers,  let  us  examine  the  religious  life  of  Korea 
under  the  old  era  and  the  new.  In  the  old  era  the 
country  was  almost  bankrupt  religiously.  Korea, 
like  China  and  Japan,  has  had  three  religions.  Con- 
fucianism and  Buddhism  have  been  common  to  all 
three  lands.  Taoism  in  China,  Shinto  in  Japan,  and 
Shamanism  in  Korea  have  codified  and  nationalized 
the  primitive  nature-worship  of  the  three  countries.^ 
Religion  had  come  to  a  low  ebb  in  Korea  before  the 
entrance  of  Christianity,  and  the  people  seemed  in- 
different and  irreligious.  Confucianism  had  resulted 
in  agnosticism,  Buddhism  in  pessimism,  Shamanism 
in  superstition.  But  Korea's  wonderful  response  to 
Christianity  in  the  last  two  decades  has  made  her 
famous  throughout  the  world,  and  proved  that  the 
fault  was  not  in  the  people  but  in  their  environment, 
not  in  their  lack  of  religious  capacity  but  in  their  old 
religions. 

Vast  World  of  Demons.  Dr.  George  Heber  Jones 
says :  "  In  Korean  belief,  earth,  air,  and  sea  are  peo- 
pled by  demons.    They  haunt  every  umbrageous  tree, 


^  The  Persian  word  "  shaman,"  meaning  idolater,  has  come 
to  denote  a  religion  restricted  to  the  use  of  fetiches  and 
charms  for  the  control  of  spirits  and  demons,  the  cure  of 
disease  and  the  averting  of  disaster.  Its  diviners  and  sor- 
ceresses are  pov^^erful  in  Korea.  Its  host  of  local  deities- 
personifications  of  nature,  gods  of  various  diseases,  and  evil 
spirits — are  supposed  to  swarm  in  the  land. 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  69 

shady  ravine,  crystal  spring,  and  mountain  crest;  by 
road  and  river,  in  north,  south,  east,  and  west  they 
abound,  making  malignant  sport  out  of  human  des- 
tinies. They  waylay  the  traveler  as  he  leaves  home, 
walking  beside  him,  dancing  in  front  of  him,  whirring 
over  his  head,  crying  out  upon  him  from  earth  and  air 
and  water.  They  are  numbered  by  thousands  of  bil- 
lions. They  touch  the  Korean  at  every  point  of  his 
life,  keeping  him  under  the  yoke  of  bondage  from 
birth  to  death." 

Model  Christian  Development.  Christianity  in 
Korea  has  been  characterized  by  its  r^pid  growth  and 
its  apostolic  zeal.  In  self-support,  self-expansion,  and 
self-government  it  has  furnished  in  many  respects  a 
model  for  all  mission  fields.  The  Church  in  Korea 
has  been  a  witnessing  Church,  a  praying  Church,  a 
Bible-studying  Church,  and  a  giving  Church. 

A  Transformed  City.  In  order  to  realize  the 
characteristics  of  Christianity  in  Korea  let  us  observe 
the  changes  which  it  has  wrought  in  a  single  typical 
city.  Ping  Yang  was  the  worst  city  in  all  Korea. 
When  Mr.  Thomas  came  from  China  with  a  quan- 
tity of  Christian  Scriptures  in  1866,  in  the  ill-fated 
vessel  Sherman,  he  and  all  the  crew  were  killed  by 
the  inhabitants  of  this  city.  Later  on  other  mission- 
aries were  driven  out.  In  1894  came  the  war  be- 
tween China  and  Japan,  and  after  the  terror  and  suf- 
fering caused  by  the  decisive  battle  of  Ping  Yang, 
the  self-denying  medical  labors  of  Dr.  Hall  and  the 
good  news  of  peace  brought  by  Dr.  Moffett  and 
others  revealed  to  the  people  the  true  nature  of  the 


70  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Christian  religion.  At  that  time,  only  twenty  years 
ago,  the  first  seven  converts  in  this  city  were 
baptized. 

Wonderful  Church  Life.  One  Sunday  in  191 1  the 
writer  attended  an  ordination  service  in  the  Central 
Church  at  Ping  Yang.  What  changes  had  taken  place 
in  these  twenty  years !  Instead  of  seven  men,  there 
is  now  a  Christian  community  of  over  33,000  in  this 
one  station.  Instead  of  the  little  room,  eight  by  twelve 
feet  square,  which  formed  the  original  church,  here 
was  a  great  building  crowded  by  1,500  Christians  on 
a  rainy  Sunday.  Instead  of  one  little  church,  forty- 
two  congregations  have  branched  off  from  this  mother 
church,  each  with  its  nucleus  of  members  from  the 
original  congregation.  As  against  a  pittance  of  a  few 
pence  formerly  given  out  of  their  poverty,  over  $30,000 
was  contributed  last  year  by  the  poor  Christians  of 
this  section,  who  built  their  own  churches,  supported 
their  pastors,  and  sent  the  gospel  far  and  wide  to 
others.  Instead  of  seven  men,  a  whole  church  is  now 
witnessing  to  an  apostolic  gospel,  nine  tenths  of  the 
workers  receiving  no  salary.  In  this  city,  which  first 
received  Chinese  religion  and  culture  three  thousand 
years  ago,  the  writer  saw  the  first  Korean  native 
Christian  missionary  sent  to  China,  supported  by  the 
Koreans  themselves,  and  heard  the  suggestion  of  the 
next  one  being  sent  to  Japan. 

Biblical  Simplicity  and  Service.  But  the  most 
striking  thing  about  these  Christians  is  not  their  num- 
bers but  the  apostolic  simplicity  of  their  lives.  The 
Scriptures  are  studied  as  in  the  days  of  old.    Instead 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  71 

of  a  children's  Sunday-school,  the  whole  church 
comes  in  a  body  to  study  the  Bible.  At  the  afternoon 
service  ten  churches  were  all  well  filled  in  this  city 
of  50,000  people.  At  the  mid-week  prayer-meeting 
eight  hundred  were  in  attendance  at  one  church  and 
a  prayer-meeting  was  announced  for  five  o'clock  every 
morning  during  the  week  following.  We  saw  a  hun- 
dred laymen  giving  up  Saturday  afternoon  to  prepare 
themselves  to  teach  the  Bible  to  their  classes  on  the 
following  day.  Some  two  hundred  special  Bible  train- 
ing conferences  were  held  in  this  station  during  the 
year,  attended  by  upward  of  10,000  Christians.  Many 
walk  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  to  attend,  and 
pay  all  their  own  expenses.  Apart  from  one  paid 
helper  for  each  missionary  to  assist  in  traveling  work 
and  supervision,  practically  all  the  work  is  self-sup- 
porting, while  the  majority  of  those  who  conduct  the 
Sunday  services  receive  no  pay. 

Personal  Witnessing.  When  we  asked  one  of  the 
missionaries  how  many  of  the  Christians  witnessed 
for  Christ,  he  said  about  100  per  cent.  He  added 
that  the  gospel  was  still  "  good  news  "  in  Korea,  and 
the  people  try  to  tell  it  to  all  they  meet.  If  a  man 
spends  the  night  in  an  inn  without  telling  the  message 
to  all  the  inmates,  he  feels  he  has  been  guilty  of  miss- 
ing a  great  opportunity.  We  saw  a  young  student 
whose  diary  showed  3,400  interviews  during  the  year. 
He  ministers  to  a  little  church  without  salary.  One 
day  he  confessed  with  shame  to  the  missionary  that 
he  had  only  spoken  to  four  persons  about  Christ  that 
day.    One  year  the  Christians  tried  to  reach  a  million 


J2  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

souls  with  the  message,  and  carried  the  story  into 
almost  every  house  in  the  district. 

General  Spirit  of  Zeal.  We  have  spoken  somewhat 
at  length  of  Christianity  in  Ping  Yang,  but  this  city 
is  typical  of  others  in  Korea.  Many  other  instances 
of  the  marked  growth  of  Christianity  might  be  added. 
In  Korea  as  a  whole  94  per  cent,  of  the  workers  are 
supported  by  Korean  money,  and  receive  no  financial 
aid  whatever  from  abroad.  About  40  per  cent,  of  the 
Christians  have  been  enrolled  in  training  classes  for 
Christian  workers,  to  train  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
laity  for  active  and  intelligent  Christian  service  for  the 
evangelization  of  their  own  country.  One  class  of 
250  members  pledged  more  than  2,500  days  of  Chris- 
tian service  during  the  year.  The  Christians  of  Korea 
purchased  themselves  in  one  year  more  than  400,000 
copies  of  Mark's  Gospel  to  distribute  among  their 
non-Christian  neighbors. 

Apostolic  Evangelization.  The  Christian  life  of 
Korea  in  its  simplicity,  its  zeal,  its  power,  and  its 
love,  carries  us  back  to  apostolic  times,  and  puts  our 
conventional  coldness  of  the  West  to  shame.  In  one 
denomination  in  America  350  ministers  and  50,000 
members  in  one  section  of  the  Eastern  States  showed 
a  net  gain  for  a  year  of  only  seventy-nine  members. 
During  the  same  year  fifteen  overworked  missionaries 
and  one  Korean  pastor  and  their  members  gathered  in 
10,600  souls,  or  about  660  for  each  ordained  man. 
When  the  writer  looked  up  the  statistics  for  the 
Church  in  Korea,  after  thirteen  years'  absence  in 
India,  he  found  it  had  gained  1,000  per  cent.    When 


PASTOR   KIL   OF    PING   YANG 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  73 

he  was  in  Korea  last  he  found  that  an  average  of 
one  new  congregation  was  added  every  day  during 
that  year. 

Sacrificial  Giving.  The  Christians  of  Korea  are 
apostolic  in  their  giving  as  well  as  in  their  witness 
and  in  the  study  of  the  Word.  One  poor  man  gladly 
lived  on  one  meal  a  day  and  gave  $500  in  two  years 
toward  the  building  of  his  church.  The  missionary 
found  another  man  drawing  his  own  plow  instead  of 
an  ox.  When  questioned  he  said,  "  Oh,  it's  great ; 
it's  good  exercise  and  I  enjoy  it."  The  missionary 
finally  learned,  however,  that  he  had  sold  his  only  ox 
to  give  money  to  the  church,  and  was  cheerfully  draw- 
ing the  family  plow  himself.  Wonderful  little  Korea ! 
Land  of  suffering  and  of  service.  May  her  lamps  be 
kept  burning  and  her  loins  girded  till  she  becomes 
an  example  to  the  world,  and  gives  us  back  the  gos- 
pel for  an  age  of  doubt! 

Breakdov^^n  of  Old  Standards.  The  causes  of  the 
remarkable  and  rapid  growth  of  Christianity  in  Korea 
are  not  difficult  to  trace.  Negatively,  on  the  one  hand, 
there  was  the  breakdown  of  the  old  standards  of  life, 
political,  economic,  social,  and  religious.  The  old 
system,  engendered  and  supported  by  the  old  faiths 
and  chained  to  the  past  had  hopelessly  failed.  As 
Dr.  Jones  says :  "  Misgovernment  and  oppression 
had  reduced  the  people  to  despair.  .  .  .  The  peo- 
ple were  tired  out,  weary,  and  disheartened  with 
the  barrenness  of  pagan  beliefs  and  religions. 
Morally  they  were  decrepit  and  moribund.  Into 
the   gloomy,    chilly   atmosphere   of   their   moral   life 


74  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

came  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  its  radiant 
promises  of  better  things,  and  the  Koreans  turned 
as  instinctively  to  it  as  the  flower  to  the  sunshine. 
There  has  been  a  lack  of  competition  with  Chris- 
tianity which  has  given  to  Christian  forces  virtually 
a  monopoly  of  the  field." 

Welcome  to  Christian  Light  and  Cheer.  Posi- 
tively, the  entrance  of  Christianity,  with  its  message 
of  light  and  life,  met  the  need  of  the  people.  It  was 
the  one  ray  of  hope  which  drew  out  their  whole  faith, 
and  the  Christians  of  Korea  threw  themselves  single- 
heartedly  into  the  Christian  life. 

Needs  of  the  Nevi^  Era.  We  have  spoken  of  the 
political  reconstruction  of  the  country  and  of  its  re- 
ligious transformation.  In  closing  let  us  think  of  the 
needs  of  the  new  era,  and  recall  the  warning  afforded 
by  Japan.  We  remember  how  the  rapid  success  in 
Japan  was  followed  by  a  period  of  reaction.  It  is  im- 
possible to  predict  that  there  will  not  be  some  such 
reaction  in  Korea  itself.  Does  history  furnish  the 
example  of  any  country  which  has  been  won  easily 
and  quickly  and  which  has  remained  a  strong  and  vital 
source  of  Christianity  with  strong  missionary  zeal? 
Are  there  not  signs  of  a  possible  reaction  in  Korea  it- 
self? 

To  Forestall  Other  Interests.  Formerly  Chris- 
tianity alone  held  the  field  of  interest.  From  now 
on  it  will  have  formidable  competitors.  Modern 
civilization  with  all  its  variety  and  complexity,  its 
assumption  of  superiority,  its  new  opportunities  and 
allurements,  its  material  standards  and  rewards,  comes 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  75 

to  appeal  to  impulses  that  never  could  be  gratified 
before.  There  is  danger*  lest  the  distractions  of  this 
world,  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  and  the  desires  for 
other  things,  entering  in,  choke  the  Word,  so  that  it 
becomes  unfruitful.  Under  the  old  regime  patriots 
turned  toward  Christianity  as  the  one  hope  of  saving 
the  country,  but  they  now  find  that  Japan  has  come 
to  stay,  and  that  they  must  adjust  themselves  to  ex- 
isting conditions,  however  bitterly  they  may  resent 
them. 

Deeper  Basis  of  Education.  Is  Korea  prepared 
to  meet  such  a  period  of  reaction  if  it  should  occur? 
Her  people,  not  highly  educated,  are  by  nature  as  the 
result  of  environment  in  a  childlike  and  naive  stage. 
They  have  never  had  to  oppose  great  national  ob- 
stacles, such  as  the  caste  system  of  India,  govern- 
ment opposition,  and  a  literati  class  like  that  of 
China,  or  the  strong  currents  of  agnosticism  and  in- 
tellectual doubt  that  have  swept  Japan.  True,  they 
have  been  purified  by  affliction  and  suffering,  but  they 
have  not  yet  been  tested  to  the  full.  We  must  deepen 
and  strengthen  the  foundations  in  Korea  before  the 
superstructure  is  extended  too  rapidly.  Is  there  not 
need  to-day  of  a  wider  emphasis  upon  education,  all 
the  more  because  the  government,  in  its  financial 
stringency,  has  been  somewhat  backward  in  develop- 
ing it?  Should  not  a  Christian  university  be  speedily 
established  in  Korea,  with  a  unified  and  coordinated 
system  of  Christian  education  related  to  it,  as  was 
recommended  in  the  recent  conference  of  the  Con- 
tinuation Committee  held  in  Korea  in  1913? 


76  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

More  Fully  Trained  Leaders.  Is  there  not  need 
also  of  developing  a  more  highly  educated  and  spe- 
cially trained  leadership  for  the  Korean  Church  ?  They 
have  set  an  example  to  the  world  in  voluntary  service, 
but  there  will  be  need  of  educated  Christian  leaders 
who  can  cope  with  the  men  who  will  receive  higher 
secular  education  in  Japan.  Fortunately,  the  Korean 
students  at  present  studying  in  Japan  are  being 
brought  under  the  helpful  influence  of  the  Christian 
Student  Movement.  Is  there  not  need  also  of  a 
wider  work  of  philanthropy  and  social  service,  to- 
gether with  all  the  broad  and  ramified  applications  of 
Christianity  to  the  people  of  the  nation,  to  enable 
them  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  new  era? 

Four  Lines  of  Reenforcement.  Is  there  not  a 
need  in  Korea  to-day  to  accept  the  warning  afforded 
by  Japan  in  emphasizing  the  four  points  mentioned 
in  our  last  chapter,  which  might  have  prevented 
the  reaction  which  took  place  in  that  country, 
namely,  to  avoid  denationalizing  and  Westernizing  the 
converts,  to  develop  a  stronger  intellectual  life  and 
apologetic  literature,  to  emphasize  essential  and  his- 
toric Christianity  without  insistence  upon  narrow 
theological  formulae,  and  to  seek  the  wider  applications- 
of  Christianity  to  social  and  national  problems,  as 
well  as  placing  stress  upon  individual  salvation?  God 
grant  that  as  the  work  in  Korea  is  deepened  and  broad- 
ened that  land  may  not  lose  the  apostolic  zeal  and 
fervor  for  which  it  has  become  rightly  celebrated 
throughout  the  world! 

Well-Deserved  Help.     Thus   we   see  that   Korea 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  *J*J 

calls  to-day  for  a  broad  and  deep  and  varied  Chris- 
tianity, as  well  as  for  the  early  message  of  the  simple 
gospel.  Now  is  the  time  to  help  Korea.  The  brave 
fight  she  has  already  made,  the  brilliant  victories  she 
has  already  won,  and  her  glad  willingness  for  self- 
support,  entitle  her  to  receive  at  our  hands  the  help 
which  she  needs  from  without. 

Men  Who  Guarantee  the  Future.  We  do  not 
wish  to  close  this  chapter  with  a  pessimistic  note  of 
warning.  The  work  in  Korea  is  still  wonderfully  suc- 
cessful. The  promise  of  the  future  lies  in  the  teach- 
ing of  men  who  have  been  raised  up  out  of  great  suf- 
fering, and  who  have  become  strong,  fervid  witnesses 
for  the  gospel.  In  closing,  in  order  to  show  the  con- 
trast between  the  old  era  and  the  new  and  the  effect 
of  Christianity  in  the  lives  of  the  people,  let  us  glance 
at  a  typical  group  of  young  men  who  suffered  under 
the  cruelty  of  the  old  Emperor,  and  who  are  leaders 
in  the  regeneration  of  Korea  under  the  new  regime. 
Such  men  are  the  best  guarantee  for  the  future  of 
Korea. 

Rise  and  Fall  of  Reform  Party.  These  young 
men  had  been  members  of  the  new  "  Independence 
Party,"  working  together  for  the  long-needed  reforms 
in  their  corrupt  government.  Educated  in  America, 
or  in  mission  schools  in  which  Western  learning,  with 
its  new  ideas  of  liberty,  the  worth  of  the  individual, 
and  modern  theories  of  government,  was  taught,  they 
were  striving  for  the  regeneration  of  Korea.  The  In- 
dependence Party  sought  to  reform  the  entire  govern- 
ment in  accordance  with  the  ideas  of  modern  civiliza- 


78  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

tion.  For  a  time  this  party  was  in  power  and  reforms 
were  rapidly  introduced,  but  the  reactionaries  soon 
gained  the  upper  hand  over  the  Emperor.  The  palace 
gates  suddenly  opened,  and  armed  police  and  hired 
members  of  the  pedlers'  gild  rushed  out,  and  carried 
some  forty  of  the  choicest  spirits  of  the  reform  party 
into  prison,  while  the  others  fled. 

Dr.  Rhee  an  Active  Spirit.  Among  those  cap- 
tured was  Dr.  Rhee,  or  Yi  Seung  Man,  who  had  been 
a  member  of  the  Imperial  Privy  Council  while  the 
Independence  Party  was  in  power.  Dr.  Rhee  was 
born  of  an  old  Confucian  family  of  scholars.  When 
English  began  to  be  introduced,  he  joined  the  mis- 
sion school  in  order  to  learn  it,  but  as  a  proud  and 
self-sufficient  Confucian  boy  he  came  to  the  school 
with  great  suspicion,  fearing  the  influence  of  some 
foreign  drug,  disliking  the  compulsory  chapel,  the 
absence  of  idols  and  all  that  he  had  been  accustomed 
to  associate  with  religion.  He  learned  English,  how- 
ever, and  along  with  it,  at  first  unconsciously,  a  world 
of  new  ideas,  centering  in  the  word  "  liberty."  On 
leaving  the  school,  apparently  untouched  religiously, 
he  threw  himself  into  a  movement  to  reform  his  coun- 
try. There  was  a  short  period  when  everything 
seemed  hopeful;  then  the  blow  fell,  the  Emperor  and 
his  associates  turned  against  the  reform  movement, 
and  in  a  moment  all  was  changed. 

Prison  Experiences.  No  words  can  describe  their 
prison.  Besides  being  frequently  tortured  to  extort 
confessions  or  to  incriminate  others,  the  prisoners 
were  herded  like  cattle  in  a  foul  pen.    In  dirt,  covered 


O     ;:; 
o 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  79 

with  vermin,  with  unspeakable  sanitary  conditions, 
they  were  Hving  in  a  stifling  atmosphere,  and  were 
never  allowed  to  leave  the  room.  They  were  crowded 
in  with  coarse  criminals  and  outlaws.  Those  who 
were  not  fast  in  galling  stocks  were  often  unable  to 
lie  down,  unless  they  lay  one  upon  another,  because 
of  the  crowd  in  that  stifling  room.  They  were  cruelly 
treated  by  the  keepers  and  by  the  professional  crim- 
inals. The  food,  disgusting  and  often  decaying,  was 
torn  from  the  weaker  men  by  the  stronger  criminals. 
The  torture  to  which  the  political  prisoners  were  sub- 
jected was  agony.  Mr.  Kim  had  his  leg  broken. 
After  each  period  of  torture  Dr.  Rhee  was  bound 
hand  and  foot  in  painful  stocks.  For  seven  months 
he  could  not  lie  down,  and  seven  long  years  in  all 
this  gifted  man,  since  an  M.A.  of  Harvard,  and  a 
Ph.D.  of  Princeton,  spent  in  this  horrible  prison. 
Unprotected  from  the  winter's  cold  or  summer's  heat, 
in  the  pain  of  torture,  and  in  the  filth  of  that  dark 
prison,  he  longed  for  death.  Som.e  of  his  friends  were 
killed,  and  he  wondered  when  his  turn  would  come. 
In  a  newspaper  smuggled  into  the  prison  from  the 
city  he  read  the  announcement  of  his  own  death.  He 
was  convinced  that  it  had  been  determined  upon  by 
the  authorities,  and  it  was  now  only  a  matter  of  hours. 
Yes,  he  was  to  die,  but  after  that,  what?  Where  was 
he  going?  Confucianism  oflfered  him  no  hope,  Bud- 
dhism no  certainty,  and  he  could  not  accept  the  de- 
basing superstitions  of  Shamanism.  In  despair  he 
turned  to  Christianity  as  his  only  hope,  and  recalled 
much  of  the  teaching  he  had  heard  in  the  mission 


8o  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

school  of  a  loving  heavenly  Father,  of  a  compas- 
sionate Savior,  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  of 
hope  for  the  future. 

He  Becomes  a  Seeker.  He  felt  convicted  of  sin 
in  that  he  had  rejected  Christ  in  the  mission  school, 
through  his  pride  and  hardness  of  heart,  and  in  that 
he  had  bitterly  and  openly  criticized  Christ,  but  he 
dimly  remembered  some  verse  that  said  if  a  man 
would  repent  God  would  forgive.  In  his  agony  he 
turned,  helpless  and  undone,  to  God.  He  knew  not 
how  to  pray,  but  bowing  his  head  as  well  as  he  could 
in  the  wooden  stocks,  he  cried  with  breaking  heart, 
"  Oh  God,  save  my  country,  save  my  soul."  It  was 
all  he  could  say,  but  in  that  broken  cry  the  young 
patriot  found  God.  It  was  the  first  prayer  he  had 
ever  offered. 

Conversion  and  Work.  He  sent  a  message  to  his 
father,  through  a  released  prisoner,  not  to  mourn  his 
loss  as  he  was  soon  to  die,  but  to  send  him  a  New 
Testament,  such  as  he  had  read  in  the  mission  school. 
At  last  it  was  smuggled  in.  In  the  filthy  cell  one 
prisoner  stood  guard  at  the  door  to  give  warning  of 
the  approach  of  the  keeper,  while  another  held  open 
the  Testament  before  this  young  man  bound  in  the 
stocks.  Here  on  the  brink  of  eternity,  a  famished 
soul,  he  thirstily  drank  in  the  truth.  As  soon  as  he 
found  the  light  himself,  he  began  to  tell  the  good 
news  to  the  miserable  group  in  his  prison  cell.  One 
by  one  he  pleaded  with  every  hardened  criminal  in 
the  place,  and  many  were  touched.  Dr.  Rhee  wit- 
nessed not  only  to  the  prisoners,  but  to  the  jailer 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  8i 

himself.  At  last  he  also  believed,  and  later  was  bap- 
tized with  all  his  house. 

"  The  Hall  of  Blessing."  Dr.  Rhee  had  been  sen- 
tenced to  prison  for  life,  but  after  the  jailer's  conver- 
sion he  was  transferred  to  a  larger  and  more  com- 
fortable cell,  where  he  had  access  to  a  greater  num- 
ber of  prisoners.  He  gathered  together  a  class  of 
thirteen  boys  and  taught  them  to  read.  Another 
adult  class  of  forty  members  was  formed,  and  the 
jailer  himself  attended  daily.  A  continual  revival 
went  on  in  that  prison,  and  the  men  who  were  there 
perfected  in  suffering  have  come  to  be  leaders  in  the 
regeneration  of  Korea.  Many  of  them  are  prominent 
in  Christian  work.  Some  five  centuries  before  some 
one  had  ironically  named  the  prison  ''  The  Hall  of 
Blessing " ;  and  under  the  alchemy  of  the  gospel  it 
did  indeed  become  a  place  of  blessing  to  all  these 
men.  They  were  like  the  writer  of  the  Ephesians, 
^'  in  chains  "  yet  "  in  heavenly  places."  Some  forty 
in  all  were  converted,  and  others  were  won  after  they 
left  the  prison. 

Yi  Sang  Jai.  Among  the  group  in  prison  was  the 
old  veteran  Korean  statesman,  Yi  Sang  Jai.  He  had 
been  secretary  of  the  Korean  Legation  at  Washing- 
ton for  many  years.  On  his  return  to  Korea  he 
bought  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament.  Joining  the 
new  Independence  Party,  he  became  its  Vice-Presi- 
dent, and  later  the  Secretary  of  the  Imperial  Cabinet 
of  Korea.  In  the  new  party  he  vigorously  opposed 
Christianity,  which  was  advocated  by  the  reformers, 
ridiculing    its     supernatural     element,     and    holding 


82  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

proudly  to  his  position  as  a  Confucian  scholar  of  the 
old  school.  As  the  leader  of  the  party  left  for 
America,  still  advocating  Christianity,  he  said  to  the 
old  scholar,  "  You  will  yet  remember  Christ,  in 
prison."  The  words  came  back  to  him  like  a  prophecy, 
when,  two  years  later,  he  with  a  score  of  his  friends 
was  thrown  into  prison  and  tortured.  Some  were 
killed,  but  most  of  all  it  harrowed  the  old  man's  soul 
to  see  his  son  tortured  before  his  eyes.  Sometimes 
the  prisoners  were  whipped  with  a  hundred  blows, 
and  at  other  times  their  limbs  were  twisted  almost 
to  the  breaking  point.  Dr.  Rhee,  a  member  of  the 
party  who  had  now  been  converted,  visited  the  old 
man  in  his  cell  and  told  him  of  Christ,  but  the  latter 
boldly  resisted  him  to  his  face.  In  fact  he  was  the 
chief  opponent  of  the  Christian  religion  in  the  prison, 
with  tlie  wealth  of  his  Confucian  scholarship  to  back 
him. 

Saved  to  Serve.  Gradually  his  opposition  began 
to  break  down,  a  sense  of  his  own  sin  came  over  him 
like  a  flood,  and  he  felt  suddenly  that  Jesus  was  his 
Savior.  No  sooner  had  he  yielded  his  life  to  Christ 
than  he  became  as  strong  an  advocate  as  he  had 
previously  been  an  enemy  of  the  truth.  To-day  this 
gray-haired  old  man  is  the  Religious  Work  Director 
of  the  Seoul  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  He 
fairly  radiates  love.  A  tireless  personal  worker,  an 
incessant  witness  for  Christ,  and  a  powerful  public 
speaker,  scarcely  a  week  passes  without  this  man  get- 
ting definite  converts  or  inquirers.  Probably  no  men 
are  doing  more  for  the  regeneration  of  Korea  than 


The  New  Era  in  Korea  83 

this  little  band  of  liberated  prisoners  ''  made  perfect 
through  suffering."  Theirs  is  the  spirit  of  Ugo 
Bassi,  who,  dying  for  Italy,  wrote  on  his  prison  cell, 
''  Here  Ugo  Bassi  endured,  somewhat  glad  of  heart 
at  knowing  himself  innocent." 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  CHINA 


IV 

THE  NEW  ERA  IN  CHINA 

China  the  Climax  of  Change.  China  furnishes  the 
dimax  of  the  new  era  in  Asia.  The  recent  changes 
are  more  vast,  sudden,  and  complete  than  in  any  other 
land.  The  new  era  stands  out  in  violent  contrast  to 
the  old.  From  the  most  corrupt  and  autocratic  of 
absolute  governments,  China  has  swung  to  an  extreme 
republican  form.  From  an  attitude  of  disdain  and 
age-long  conservatism  and  rejection  of  all  innovation, 
she  is  now  seeking  reconstruction  with  headlong 
rapidity.  What  is  the  significance  of  these  sweeping 
changes?  As  national  members  of  the  great  interna- 
tional brotherhood  the  fate  of  China  affects  us  all. 
Her  enormous  population,  her  political  relations  to 
the  Western  powers,  her  great  economic  resources,  and 
her  religious  possibilities,  emphasize  the  significance 
of  the  new  era  in  China. 

Vast  Elements  Involved.  Let  us  notice  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  change.  China  has  an  area  twelve  times 
as  great  as  the  United  Kingdom,  and  seven  tim.es  as 
great  as  France.  China's  population  is  eight  times  as 
great  as  Japan  and  thirty  times  that  of  Korea.  Her 
large  resources,  her  commercial  and  economic  possi- 
bilities, her  political  significance  to  the  world,  either 

87 


88  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

as  a  successful  republic  or,  if  weakened,  as  a  bone 
of  contention  among  the  nations,  all  alike  emphasize 
the  significance  of  Napoleon's  prophecy :  "  When 
China  is  moved  she  will  move  the  world." 

Suddenness  of  Movement.  Observe  also  the  sud- 
denness of  the  change  which  has  swept  over  China. 
She  was  slower  to  yield  than  the  other  nations,  but 
when  she  yielded  she  moved  all  at  once.  China  was 
exposed  far  longer  than  other  countries  before  yield- 
ing. The  versatile  and  precocious  peoples  of  Italy  and 
France  enthusiastically  embraced  the  renaissance  of 
Europe.  The  slow  and  conservative  English  and  Ger- 
mans long  held  out  against  every  innovation,  but  when 
moved  they  were  moved  to  the  moral  depths  of  their 
national  life.  Japan  may  prove  to  be  the  France  of 
the  Orient  and  China  the  British  Empire  of  the  East. 
China  was  repeatedly  invaded  as  the  other  countries 
of  the  Far  East  were  not,  and  for  nearly  a  century 
held  out  against  long  and  continued  pressure  brought 
to  bear  upon  her  by  the  foreign  nations.  Even  as  late 
as  1896  Lord  Curzon  in  his  Problems  of  the  Far  East 
prophesied  that  China  would  never  yield  to  the  forces 
of  Western  civilization.  He  writes :  "  That  the  em- 
pire .  .  .  whose  standard  of  civil  and  political  per- 
fection is  summed  up  in  the  stationary  idea;  which 
after  half  a  century  of  intercourse  with  ministers, 
missionaries,  and  merchants,  regards  all  these  as  in- 
tolerable nuisances  .  .  .  and  which,  after  a  twenty 
years'  observation  of  the  neighboring  example  of 
Japan,  looks  with  increasing  contempt  upon  a 
frailty  so  feeble  and  impetuous — that  this  empire  is 


The  New  Era  in  China  89 

likely  to  falsify  the  whole  course  of  its  history  .  .  . 
is  a  hypothesis  that  ignores  the  accumulated  lessons 
of  political  science  and  postulates  a  revival  of  the  age 
of  miracles." 

Completeness  of  Transition.  Let  us  note  also  the 
completeness  of  the  change  in  China.  The  movement 
has  not  been  controlled  from  above  with  the  retention 
of  the  old  form  of  government,  as  was  the  case  in 
Japan.  It  was  not  forced  by  outsiders  as  was  the  case 
in  Korea.  It  was  not  supervised  by  an  alien  govern- 
ment as  in  India.  Led  by  the  students  and  educated 
young  men,  the  revolution  has  affected  the  merchants 
and  even  the  literati,  and  has  finally  been  accepted  by 
the  common  people  themselves.  The  change  in  the  form 
of  government  will  make  possible  a  more  complete 
transformation  than  was  the  case  either  in  Korea  or 
Japan.  To  outward  appearance  Japan  seems  demo- 
cratic and  the  government  of  China  hopelessly  auto- 
cratic. As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  government  of  Japan  is 
a  somewhat  liberalized  oligarchy,  while  that  of  China 
has  been  an  autocracy  superimposed  upon  a  broad  de- 
mocracy. Now  the  last  vestige  of  autocracy,  so  far  as 
the  old  dynasty  is  concerned,  has  been  swept  away, 
and  the  democracy  remains.  The  key-note  of  the 
Japanese  people  is  solidarity,  that  of  the  Chinese,  in- 
dividualism and  democracy.  This  offers  a  more  hope- 
ful field  than  the  conditions  in  other  lands  in  Asia. 
Not  only  all  classes,  but  all  departments  of  national 
life  have  been  affected  by  the  changes  in  China.  To 
realize  how  vast,  how  sudden,  and  how  complete  the 
change  has  been,  let  us  note  the  striking  and  often 


90  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

even  dramatic  contrast  between  the  old  era  and  the 
new  in  two  typical  cities  of  China.  Let  us  take  Can- 
ton, the  radical  revolutionary  center  of  the  south, 
and  Peking  in  the  north,  the  capital  of  the  Manchu 
dynasty  and  of  the  new  republic. 

Canton  Entered  by  Morrison.  First  of  all,  let 
us  observe  ,  the  contrast  in  Canton.  Potentially, 
the  new  religious  era  in  China  began  the  day  that 
Robert  Morrison  stepped  ashore  in  Canton.  Met  by 
the  stolid  conservatism  of  the  most  changeless  race 
of  antiquity,  and  by  the  opposition  of  the  govern- 
ment, he  saw  no  outward  evidence  that  a  new  era 
had  begun  in  China.  But  Morrison  carried  in  his 
heart  the  same  message  that  the  Apostle  Paul  brought 
to  Europe  when  he  landed  in  Philippi.  The  leaven 
had  been  hidden,  and  it  was  only  a  question  of  time 
until  the  last  man  of  the  four  hundred  millions  of 
China  should  feel  the  power  of  the  new  age.  It  was 
significant  that  Morrison  had  prayed  that  "  God 
would  send  him  to  that  part  of  the  missionary  field 
where  the  difficulties  were  the  greatest  and  to  all 
human  appearances  the  most  insurmountable."  His 
prayer  was  abundantly  answered. 

Incomparable  Labors,  Obstacles,  Faith.  Living 
in  an  insanitary  "  godown,"  where  once  the  roof  fell 
in  upon  him,  with  repeated  breakdowns  in  health, 
owing  to  overwork  and  insufficient  food,  Morrison 
was  opposed  and  thwarted  at  every  turn.  Forbidden 
to  preach  in  public,  laboring  seven  years  without  a 
convert,  long  able  to  speak  of  Christianity  only  be- 
hind locked  doors  with  the  three  or  four  men  in  his 


The  New  Era  in  China  91 

employ,  he  was  threatened  repeatedly  by  the  officials, 
his  printing  materials  were  destroyed,  his  stock  of 
paper  burned,  his  money  stolen,  his  press  closed.  He 
was  threatened  with  edicts  which  made  even  the  trans- 
lation of  the  Scriptures  a  crime  guilty  of  capital  punish- 
ment. Beaten,  driven  out  in  turn  from  Canton  and 
Macao,  broken  in  health,  hated  by  the  people  whom 
he  had  come  to  serve,  this  brave  man  held  to  his 
course  till  his  work  was  done.  Often  he  dared  not 
even  walk  out  upon  the  streets  in  public,  and  he  was 
so  weak  from  his  long  toil  of  translation  that  at 
times  he  could  not  walk  across  the  room.  Six  years 
he  was  left  alone  while  his  invalid  wife  was  at  home, 
and  for  sixteen  years  he  toiled  on  to  produce  the  six 
huge  volumes  of  his  Chinese  dictionary.  After  years 
of  unremitting  labor  the  whole  Bible  was  at  last  trans- 
lated. Seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  copies  of 
books  and  tracts  were  issued  by  Milne  and  himself 
from  his  press  during  his  lifetime,  yet  there  were  only 
one  or  two  converts  to  show  after  a  life  of  toil,  and  the 
combined  efforts  of  all  the  little  group  of  missionaries 
in  China  after  the  first  twenty-five  years  did  not 
result  in  ten  baptized  converts.  Bold  indeed  was  this 
man's  faith  when,  asked  by  a  New  York  merchant 
if  he  expected  to  make  any  impression  upon  the  idol- 
aters of  the  great  Chinese  Empire.  "  No,  sir/'  re- 
plied Mr.  Morrison  with  energy,  *'  I  expect  God 
will."  During  the  twenty-seven  years  of  Morri- 
son's life  in  China,  from  1807  to  1834,  the  old  era 
continued  unbroken  in  its  power,  and  for  over 
sixty  years,  with  all  her  pride  and  power,  China  re- 


92  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

sisted  every  effort  to  open  up  this  great  land  of 
rock-Hke  conservatism. 

Contrast  with  the  Present.  All  this  is  changed 
now!  We  look  on  the  scene  of  Morrison's  labors 
and  then  pass  to  the  modern  theater  in  Canton,  to  a 
great  audience  of  three  thousand  picked  men,  ad- 
mitted by  ticket  only,  representing  the  government 
colleges  and  the  leading  young  business  men  and  offi- 
cials of  the  city.  During  one  week  in  Canton  in 
January,  19 13,  eight  thousand  government  students 
attended  the  lectures  of  Professor  Robertson,  while 
nearly  three  thousand  men  listened  hour  after  hour 
as  Dr.  Mott  made  his  evangelistic  appeals. 

Movement  in  the  Meetings.  How  it  would  have 
delighted  Morrison's  heart,  to  see  to-day  in  Canton 
over  a  thousand  men  stay  to  an  after-meeting,  eight 
hundred  enrolling  themselves  as  inquirers,  promising 
to  study  the  Gospels  which  Morrison  had  labored  so 
long  to  translate,  and  to  follow  Christ  according  to 
their  reason  and  conscience.  In  his  day  it  would 
have  meant  death  either  to  preach  or  to  accept  Christ 
in  public.  Within  a  short  time  after  the  close  of 
these  meetings  in  Canton  a  hundred  men  had  been 
received  into  the  church,  and  many  others  were  pre- 
paring to  follow  in  their  public  acceptance  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  Savior  and  Lord.  Whereas  in  Morrison's 
day  the  officials  opposed,  insulted,  or  persecuted  the 
missionary,  to-day  we  find  the  Commissioner  of  Edu- 
cation in  Canton  presiding  at  Dr.  Mott's  meeting,  the 
Commissioner  of  Foreign  Affairs  introducing  him  to 
the  audience,  the  Chief  Justice  presiding  the  follow- 


The  New  Era  in  China  93 

ing  night,  and  some  of  the  leading  young  men  of  the 
city  coming  out  boldly  as  inquirers  of  Christianity. 
The  contrast  would  be  almost  as  striking  if,  instead 
of  contrasting  the  present  with  the  conditions  of  Mor- 
rison's day,  we  should  take  those  preceding  the  Boxer 
uprising,  a  little  more  than  a  decade  ago.  More 
students  and  young  men  of  the  leading  classes  have 
decided  for  Christ  during  the  year  1913  than  the  total 
number  of  converts  from  among  the  officials,  gentry, 
and  literati  in  the  first  hundred  years  of  Christian 
efTort  in  China.  Less  than  a  thousand  Protestant 
Christians  had  been  gathered  up  to  i860,  after  more 
than  fifty  years  of  faithful  seed-sowing,  yet  a  larger 
number  than  this  were  enrolled  as  inquirers  during 
a  single  night  in  the  recent  meetings  in  one  city. 
Truly  a  new  era  has  dawned  upon  China. 

Sudden  End  of  Political  Despotism.  Contrast 
the  spirit  of  this  new  age  with  the  old  era,  even  down 
to  the  Boxer  uprising  of  1900.  Politically,  where  the 
old  Oriental  despotism  reigned,  life  was  at  the  mercy 
of  the  absolute  will  of  the  monarch  or  high  official. 
The  very  Emperor  of  China  himself  would  be  kept 
waiting  for  half  an  hour  on  his  knees  by  the  late 
Empress  Dowager  before  he  could  see  her,  and  when 
his  favorite  concubine,  who  was  practically  his  wife, 
suggested  that  he  remain  in  Peking  at  the  time  of 
the  flight,  she  was  promptly  thrown  down  a  well  by 
the  order  of  the  Empress,  in  spite  of  the  Emperor's 
supplications. 

Change  in  Other  Elements.  Intellectually,  there 
was  no  freedom  of  thought  in  that  obsolete  system 


94  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

chained  to  an  imaginary  golden  age  of  the  dead  past. 
Dr.  Pott  in  The  Emergency  in  China  estimates  that 
only  one  in  twenty-seven  of  the  men  could  read  un- 
derstandingly,  while  the  education  of  women  was  al- 
most entirely  neglected.  Economically,  trade  was 
stifled  under  an  ignorant  system  of  iniquitous  taxa- 
tion, bribery,  and  corruption.  The  morals  of  the 
effete  Manchu  dynasty  find  their  parallel  only  in 
the  abominations  recorded  in  the  first  chapter  of 
Romans. 

Confucianism  Proved  Inadequate.  Although 
Confucianism  had  furnished  a  great  moral  restraint 
to  the  people  in  its  high  ethical  teaching,  the  religions 
of  China  had  proved  utterly  inadequate  to  save  the 
people.  Confucianism,  which  as  Dr.  Faber  points  out, 
is  ethically  by  far  the  best  of  the  three,  recognizes  no 
relation  of  the  common  people  to  a  personal  God,  takes 
no  adequate  account  of  sin,  permits  polygamy  and 
polytheism,  is  without  a  mediator  and  without 
prayer,  deifies  human  ancestors  in  the  place  of  God, 
and  offers  no  comfort  either  in  life  or  in  death. 
Noble  as  are  many  of  its  moral  maxims,  Confucian- 
ism as  a  religion  is  unable  to  satisfy  the  spiritual  needs 
of  China.  After  more  than  four  thousand  years  of 
trial  it  has  failed  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  new  age. 
Without  the  dynamic  of  evolutionary  and  progressive 
Christianity  it  cannot  afford  the  basis  and  power 
for  an  advancing  civilization  which  would  give  China 
her  rightful  place  among  the  nations. 

Present-day  Peking.  Let  us  now  pass  to  Peking, 
the  present  capital  of  China.    Arriving  in  Peking  the 


The  New  Era  in  China  95 

railway  passes  through  the  ancient  city  walls,  and  as 
we  approach  we  see  the  battered  bastions,  which 
carry  us  back  to  the  siege  of  Boxer  days  in  1900. 
The  huge  picturesque  gateways,  the  enormous  spread- 
ing towers  above  the  ponderous  walls,  that  rise  in 
places  to  a  hundred  feet  in  height,  remind  us  of  the 
pomp  and  power  of  this  ancient  people.  In  Peking 
under  the  old  era,  according  to  Sir  Robert  Hart,  men 
were  sometimes  drowned  during  the  rainy  season  in 
the  deep  pools  of  mud  and  water  in  the  main  streets 
of  the  city.  Now  we  were  speeding  from  college  to 
college  in  a  taxicab,  in  order  to  keep  our  lecturing 
engagements  in  the  government  colleges.  Though  we 
had  to  slow  up  occasionally  for  a  camel-train  or  plod- 
ding donkey-cart,  as  reminders  that  the  old  era  was 
still  obstructing  the  advance  of  the  new,  it  was  never- 
theless evident  that  the  new  had  the  right  of  way,  and 
had  come  to  stay. 

Government  Prepared  the  Way  for  Meetings. 
The  government  threw  open  to  us  for  the  first  time 
all  the  colleges  of  the  city,  and  arranged  our  meet- 
ings for  us.  Taking  five  meetings  a  day  we  were  able 
to  visit  the  Imperial  University,  the  great  Law  School 
with  its  four  hundred  enthusiastic  students,  and  some 
important  colleges  never  before  opened  to  Christians. 
The  Tsing  Hwa  College,  built  by  America's  returned 
indemnity  money,  stands  in  the  palace  grounds  that 
were  reeking  with  the  blood  of  the  Christians  in  the 
Boxer  uprising.  To-day,  under  a  Chinese  Christian 
principal  and  fifteen  Christian  American  professors, 
this  college  is  training  all  the  government   students 


96  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

who  are  to  study  in  America  and  the  West,  and  who 
will  be  the  leading  officials  in  the  new  China.  The 
students,  drawn  from  the  eighteen  provinces,  are  a 
strong  body  of  men.  Their  studies  are  conducted  in 
English,  and  indeed  they  could  not  understand  each 
other  in  any  other  spoken  language,  as  their  provincial 
dialects  are  often  unintelligible  to  each  other.  Be- 
fore the  revolution  China  had  organized  in  1910 
42,444  schools  in  the  provinces,  enrolling  1,284,965 
students  and  pupils,  but  it  will  take  some  time  to  re- 
organize their  educational  department,  and  adequately 
finance  it  after  the  disorder  of  the  revolution. 

Cities  Mark  the  Chinese  Movement.  A  visit  to 
the  cities  of  Canton  and  Peking  must  convince  any 
sympathetic  and  unprejudiced  observer  of  the  vast- 
ness,  the  suddenness,  and  the  completeness  of  the 
change  in  China.  But  the  change  is  not  only  in  these 
cities.  Every  city  in  China  shows  evidences  of  the 
new  era.  From  Foochow  in  the  south  to  Mukden  in 
the  north;  from  Shanghai  in  the  east  to  far-away 
Chengtu  in  the  west,  or  at  Hankow  in  mid-China, 
one  sees  the  adamantine  rock  of  China's  former  con- 
servative customs  and  institutions  now  melted  as  by 
a  volcanic,  revolutionary  upheaval,  and  flowing  freely 
into  new  molds.  And  from  the  score  of  provincial 
capitals  out  to  the  seventeen  hundred  walled  cities, 
to  the  thousands  of  secondary  cities  and  towns, 
and  even  to  the  remotest  villages,  the  influence  of  the 
new  era  is  gradually  permeating.  But  in  the  great 
cities  first  of  all,  more  even  than  in  the  cities  of  the 
Roman    Empire    in    St.    Paul's    day,    the    leaders    of 


The  New  Era  in  China  97 

thought  and  government  students  are  being  won  to 
Christianity.  In  Mukden  alone,  where  the  governor 
generously  erected  a  pavilion  for  Dr.  Mott's  evan- 
gelistic meetings  at  his  own  expense,  for  the  five  thou- 
sand government  students  of  the  city  to  attend,  thirty- 
six  officials,  professors,  and  teachers  were  enrolled 
among  the  inquirers.  The  Mukden  correspondent  for 
the  North  China  Daily  News  characterized  the  recent 
evangelistic  meetings  for  students  in  that  city  as  "  the 
most  significant  Christian  movement  in  the  history  of 
missions  in  Manchuria."  In  all,  in  fourteen  cities  of 
China,  within  the  first  three  months  of  1913  over  7,000 
inquirers  were  enrolled  in  the  series  of  special  meet- 
ings, chiefly  among  the  government  students.  In  one 
city  missionaries  who  had  been  once  in  danger  of  their 
lives  before  the  bigotry  of  angry  throngs  of  the  con- 
servative students  of  the  old  regime  rejoiced  to  behold 
this  movement  where  such  a  change  was  now  mani- 
fested. In  India  Christianity  has  won  its  greatest 
triumphs,  not  in  the  cities,  but  in  the  remote  villages. 
In  the  Far  East,  as  in  the  early  Roman  Empire, 
the  cities  have  not  only  been  the  first  to  feel  the 
effects  of  the  new  era,  but  have  yielded  the  largest 
results  in  reaching  the  upper  classes. 

Positive  and  Negative  Causes.  Let  us  now  ex- 
amine the  causes  which  led  to  these  changes  and  to  the 
success  of  the  revolution.  In  addition  to  three  general 
and  positive  causes,  contact  with  Western  trade. 
Western  education,  and  Christian  missions,  three 
negative  causes  have  operated  in  China  to  produce 
the  vast  changes  which  we  are  witnessing. 


98  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Opposition  to  Manchu  Rule.  There  was  a  grow- 
ing dissatisfaction  and  opposition  to  the  foreign  Man- 
chu rule,  which  had  imposed  itself  upon  the  Chinese 
people  since  1644.  It  was  not  only  opposition  to  the 
Manchus,  however,  as  foreigners,  but  also  to  the  prin- 
ciple which  controlled  their  government.  That  prin- 
ciple was  one  of  selfishness,  not  of  service,  which  is 
the  obligation  of  the  new  era.  Every  office  had  its 
price.  Almost  every  official  lived  for  himself  ^nd 
disregarded  the  national  welfare.  This  produced  such 
a  corrupt  and  impoverished  condition  of  affairs  that 
the  leaders  of  the  nation  finally  rose  in  indignant  re- 
volt. Seeing  the  danger  which  menaced  the  empire, 
the  young  Emperor,  Kuang  Hsu,  with  a  band  of 
young  advisers,  had  instituted  a  program  of  radical 
reform,  issuing  some  twenty-seven  edicts  in  the  course 
of  two  months.  The  old  Empress  Dowager,  however, 
aroused  by  these  changes,  in  a  frenzy  of  rage  seized 
the  government,  threw  the  young  Emperor  into  con- 
finement, and  led  a  blind  and  bigoted  reactionary 
movement  which  finally  culminated  in  the  Boxer  up- 
rising, which  she  secretly  encouraged.  The  final  ef- 
forts of  the  Manchus  to  save  their  tottering  throne 
came  too  late. 

Breakdown  of  Old  Standards.  There  was  a 
general  breakdown  of  the  old  system  of  life — intel- 
lectual, social,  and  religious — which  had  been  based 
upon  Confucian  standards.  High  as  were  its  ethics 
and  its  system  of  political  morality,  it  was  without  con- 
ception, in  the  Christian  sense,  of  the  Fatherhood  of 
God,   of  the  universal  brotherhood  of   man,   and  of 


The  New  Era  in  China  99 

eternal  life.  Its  center  of  gravity  was  not  in  the  ex- 
panding future  but  in  the  changeless  past.  It  was 
petrified,  static,  dead.  Despite  its  noble  ideals  and 
moral  maxims  it  contained  no  power  of  advance.  It 
could  not  be  adapted  to  the  spirit  of  the  new  age. 
The  true  principle  of  life  is  that  which  fully  develops 
and  fully  satisfies  man's  highest  nature,  but  Confucian- 
ism could  neither  fully  develop  nor  fully  satisfy  the 
people  of  China.  A  bar  to  progress,  it  left  China  in 
an  arrested  state  of  development.  It  was  a  cumber- 
some, cast-iron  system  of  man-made  rules,  not  an 
organic  body  of  eternal  principles,  revealing  the 
moral  order  of  the  living  God.  Hence  it  was  doomed. 
Economic  Dissatisfaction.  There  was  a  growing 
dissatisfaction  with  economic  conditions  under  the  old 
system.  This  was  the  one  fundamental,  underlying 
cause  of  the  recent  Chinese  revolution.  It  was  shown 
in  the  gathering  tide  of  unrest  that  swept  across  China 
and  finally  dashed  itself  against  the  very  walls  of 
Peking.  The  suffering  of  three  million  people  from 
famine  and  flood,  the  death  of  thousands  from  pneu- 
monic plague  in  Manchuria,  the  growing  poverty  from 
oppression,  misrule,  and  stagnation  of  business,  the 
failure  on  the  part  of  the  nerveless  central  govern- 
ment to  suppress  the  gathering-bands  of  outlaws  who 
were  roving  throughout  the  country,  all  added  to  the 
growing  discontent.  The  foreign  loan  negotiations 
and  the  nationalization  of  the  railroads  aroused  indig- 
nation among  the  provinces,  in  their  dread  of  foreign 
intervention  and  suspicion  of  the  national  government,, 
for  provincialism  is  strong  in  China. 


100  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Two  Defeats.  Rendering  these  causes  operative, 
were  certain  occasions  which  brought  matters  in 
China  to  a  crisis.  These  were  furnished  by  two  de- 
feats and  two  victories.  The  first  defeat  was  that  of 
China  at  the  hands  of  her  long-despised  neighbor, 
Japan,  in  1895.  The  second,  which  showed  China  her 
utter  helplessness,  was  by  the  relatively  small  force  of 
foreign  troops  who  represented  the  Western  powers 
in  the  suppression  of  the  Boxer  uprising  in  1900.  As 
Dr.  Pott  says,  "  In  that  wild  outburst  of  bigotry, 
frenzy,  and  ignorance  of  the  year  1900,  we  see  gath- 
ered to  a  focus  all  the  elements  in  China  opposed  to 
progress."  With  much  of  her  territory  already  lost, 
and  with  books  rapidly  appearing  on  The  Break-up 
of  China,  The  Partition  of  China,  etc.,  the  leaders  of 
the  nation  aroused  themselves  to  one  supreme  effort 
to  save  the  country  before  it  was  too  late. 

Two  Victories.  Two  victories,  however,  brought 
hope  to  China's  leaders.  The  first  was  Japan's  victory 
over  Russia  in  1905.  The  victory  of  one  of  the  smaller 
nations  of  the  East  over  what  was  supposed  to  be  one 
of  the  greatest  and  most  dreaded  nations  of  the  West 
convinced  China  that  the  hour  had  come  for  her  to 
cast  off  the  grave-clothes  of  the  dead  past  and  enter 
the  arena  of  modern  life.  Secondly,  the  successful 
agitation  of  the  radical  leaders  of  the  Young  China 
Party  furnished  the  occasion  for  the  final  incoming 
of  the  new  era.  The  growing  unrest  of  the  masses 
was  voiced  and  guided  by  the  young  revolutionary 
leaders.  The  dumb  discontent  of  the  multitude  be- 
came articulate  in  the  insistent  demands  of  the  edu- 


The  New  Era  in  China  lor 

cated.  Three  classes  especially  led  in  the  revolt. 
These  were  the  returned  Chinese  students  with  their 
new  revolutionary  ideas  imbibed  in  Japan,  the  more 
highly  educated  young  men  who  had  been  trained  in 
America  and  the  West,  and  the  aggressive,  radical 
leaders  of  Canton  and  the  Yangtze  Valley.  China 
rapidly  became  honeycombed  with  revolutionary  so- 
cieties. Dr.  Sun  Yat-sen  and  others  had  for  years 
been  working  in  China  and  among  the  Chinese  in 
Japan,  America,  and  other  lands,  until  the  psycho- 
logical moment  for  action  came  in  191 1. 

A  Comparatively  Bloodless  Revolution.  The 
writer  traveled  down  in  the  train  from  Peking  to 
Hankow  with  General  Sun,  whose  bomb  accidentally 
exploding  on  October  9,  191 1,  in  Hankow,  was  the 
spark  which  set  the  nation  ablaze.  A  plot  was  dis- 
covered, and  in  order  to  save  their  own  heads  after 
the  execution  of  some  of  the  revolutionists  by  the 
local  officials,  the  leaders  were  forced  to  raise  the 
standard  of  revolt  in  Central  China.  When  the  Man- 
chu  government  showed  its  inability  to  cope  with  the 
uprising  in  Hankow  and  Szechwan,  the  revolutionary 
societies  roused  the  people  all  over  the  country,  and 
seized  the  reins  of  government  in  province  after 
province.  General  Li  Yuan-hung  threw  in  his  lot  with 
the  revolutionists  and  took  command  of  the  southern 
army.  Within  three  months  fifteen  of  the  eighteen 
provinces  had  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  cause  of  free- 
dom, and  within  four  months  the  most  wide-spread 
revolution  in  history,  and  comparatively  speaking,  per- 
haps the  one  accompanied  by  least  bloodshed,   was 


102  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

concluded  by  the  edicts  of  February  12,  1912,  pro- 
claiming through  the  child  Emperor  the  abdication  of 
the  Manchu  dynasty,  and  the  acknowledgment  of 
the  new  republic  for  one  fourth  of  the  human  race. 
It  is  estimated  that  less  lives  were  lost  in  the  entire 
conflict  than  the  numbers  sacrificed  in  the  single  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg  in  America  during  the  Civil  War. 
Just  at  the  right  time  Dr.  Sun  Yat-sen  arrived  in 
China,  and  on  January  i,  1912,  was  chosen  as  the 
first  President  of  the  provisional  government. 

Grov^th  of  Humane  Christian  Spirit.  During  the 
revolution  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross  Society,  and 
the  humane  treatment  both  of  foreigners  and  Chinese, 
showed  that  a  new  era  had  dawned  for  China.  The 
only  place  where  a  massacre  occurred  on  a  large  scale 
was  in  Shensi,  where  there  were  no  educated  Chris- 
tian Chinese  in  positions  of  leadership.  In  contrast 
to  this,  during  the  Tai  Ping  rebellion  of  fifty  years 
ago,  from  1852  to  1864,  over  twenty  millions  of  lives 
were  sacrificed,  most  being  butchered  in  cold  blood. 
What  but  the  principles  of  Christian  civilization  pro- 
duced this  humanitarian  change  in  the  conduct  of  the 
recent  revolution?  Even  the  Manchus  were  spared 
as  a  rule,  the  Emperor's  life  was  protected,  and  the 
royal  family  were  permitted  to  occupy  their  ancient 
palace,  and  were  generously  pensioned  for  Hfe. 

Remarkable  Official  Action.  On  Sunday,  April 
13,  19 1 3,  a  united  prayer  service  was  held  in  Peking 
and  other  places  ''  for  the  Chinese  nation  and  the 
National  Assembly  at  this  important  time  of  the  in- 
auguration of  a  permanent  government."     The  fol- 


The  New  Era  in  China  103 

lowing  message  was  adopted  by  the  Cabinet,  and  was 
telegraphed  by  the  Chinese  government  to  all  Provin- 
cial Governors  and  other  high  officials  within  whose 
jurisdiction  there  are  Christian  communities,  and  also 
to  leaders  of  Christian  Churches  in  China,  both  Catho- 
lic and   Protestant: 

National  Request  for  Prayer.  "  Prayer  is  re- 
quested for  the  National  Assembly  now  in  session; 
for  the  new  Government ;  for  the  President  who  is  to 
be  elected;  for  the  Constitution  of  the  Republic;  that 
the  Government  may  be  recognized  by  the  Powers ; 
that  peace  may  reign  within  our  country;  that  strong 
and  virtuous  men  may  be  elected  to  office;  and  that 
the  Government  may  be  established  upon  a  strong 
foundation.  Upon  receipt  of  this  telegram  you  are 
requested  to  notify  all  churches  in  your  province  that 
April  twenty-seventh  has  been  set  aside  as  a  day  of 
prayer  for  the  nation.     Let  all  take  part." 

An  Unprecedented  Step.  The  North  China  Daily 
News,  in  commenting  upon  this  announcement,  says : 
"  This  is  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  that 
such  an  appeal  came  from  a  non-Christian  nation. 
.  .  .  The  hard  fact  remains  that  the  Central  Govern- 
ment has  telegraphed  to  provincial  officers  as  well  as 
to  Christian  leaders,  asking  prayer  to  be  made,  almost 
in  the  familiar  phrase,  *  for  the  House  of  Parliament 
as  at  this  time  assembled.'  The  change  in  the  spirit 
of  China  that  can  lead  to  such  an  appeal  as  this  is 
unquestionably  great.  That  it  is  something  more  than 
a  surface  change  was  shown  the  other  day  at  the 
opening  of  the  Assembly,  when,  as  our  Peking  corre- 


104  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

spondent  wrote,  of  the  members  present  no  fewer 
than  sixty  were  Christians.  Revolutions  have  an 
awkward  knack  of  exalting  the  purely  material.  But 
it  is  something  that  her  leaders  can  give  this  public 
acknowledgment  of  the  spiritual  side  of  things." 

Unmistakably  a  New  Age.  As  we  glance  at  the 
China  of  Morrison's  day,  or  even  at  the  China  of 
1900,  and  then  at  the  modern  republic,  whose  Presi- 
dent and  Cabinet  thus  called  upon  the  Christian 
world  for  intercessory  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  nation, 
it  seems  like  passing  from  darkness  to  light,  from  the 
crucifixion  of  martyrdom  to  the  resurrection  power 
and  life  of  a  new  age. 

Resultant  Problems.  Having  noted  the  changes 
which  have  swept  over  China,  and  the  contrast  be- 
tween the  old  era  and  the  new,  let  us  now  observe 
some  of  the  national  problems  involved  in  the  present 
changes  which  confront  the  Chinese  to-day. 

I.  Representative  Government.  There  is  first 
of  all  the  political  problem  of  a  representative  gov- 
ernment, or  how  to  run  a  republic.  Utterly  unpre- 
pared, China  is  faced  with  the  problem  of  developing 
a  strong  central  government,  which  shall  command 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  unite  the  north  and 
south,  and  bind  together  her  divided  and  independent 
provinces.  Even  in  the  United  States,  with  our  in- 
coming tide  of  immigration,  a  republic  is  a  difficult 
form  of  government;  but  imagine  the  problem  we 
would  have  with  90  per  cent,  of  the  people  illiterate, 
and  a  population  four  times  as  great  as  our  own. 
What  a  burden  this  places  upon  the  educated  minor- 


The  New  Era  in  China  105 

ity!  As  Mr.  L.  P.  Jacks  says  in  the  Hibbert  Journal: 
"  It  cannot  be  too  much  considered  that  democracy  as 
it  now  exists,  if  in  one  aspect  the  freest,  is  in  another 
aspect  the  severest  form  of  government;  less  than 
any  other  form  does  it  permit  the  natural  man  to 
do  as  he  likes." 

Evil  Inheritances.  The  inheritance  of  evil  from 
the  corrupt  Manchu  dynasty  cannot  be  thrown  off  at 
once.  Mismanagement,  incapacity,  and  bribery  al- 
most beyond  human  belief,  characterized  the  decaying 
rule  of  the  Manchus.  A  prominent  item  in  a  Chinese 
official's  annual  income  was  from  the  sale  of  offices. 
Almost  every  office  and  every  piece  of  work  had  its 
price  and  its  bribe,  and  an  official  had  to  reimburse 
himself  by  bribery  for  the  office  for  which  he  had 
paid  so  much,  and  which  he  was  liable  to  lose  so  soon. 

Basis  for  Popular  Rule.  China  has  become  a  re- 
public, but  a  complete  transformation  to  representa- 
tive government  cannot  be  wrought  in  a  single  day. 
Even  America  has  not  yet  fully  achieved  an  honest 
and  efficient  government  of  the  people,  for  the  people, 
by  the  people.  China  always  has  been,  however,  in 
a  large  measure,  self-governing.  In  the  family,  the 
clan,  the  trade-gild,  the  village,  and  the  province,  the 
Chinese  largely  manage  their  own  affairs,  and  are 
ready  to  resist  taxation,  innovation,  or  undesirable 
orders  from  the  central  government.  Mr.  H.  A.  Giles 
of  Cambridge  refers  to  "  the  Chinese  who,  strictly 
speaking,  govern  themselves  in  the  most  democratic  of 
all  republics."  The  republic  has  come  to  stay.  China 
now  needs  time;  time  to  regain  her  equilibrium,  and 


io6  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

to  utilize  her  vast  resources.  The  elections  have  been 
held  with  a  measure  of  success.  True,  there  was  but 
little  supervision  at  the  polls,  there  has  been  some 
"  repeating,"  and  coolies  not  eligible  to  vote  have 
sometimes  voted;  but  if  America  has  not  solved  her 
own  problems  in  this  matter  can  we  expect  China  to 
do  so  in  a  moment? 

2.  Financial  and  Economic  Problem.  China's 
financial  and  economic  problem  is  equally  grave. 
There  is  the  need  of  standardizing  her  currency,  ad- 
justing taxation,  and  collecting  the  revenues  due  from 
the  provinces.  There  is  the  imperative  need  of  build- 
ing her  much-needed  railways,  of  developing  the  vast 
resources  of  her  mines  and  the  even  greater  possi- 
bilities of  her  manufactures.  Almost  bankrupt  after 
the  revolution,  and  with  the  encumbrance  of  debt  in- 
herited from  the  Manchu  dynasty,  China  long  sought 
a  loan  from  the  four  nations,  and  later  from  the  six 
nations,  including  British,  German,  French,  American, 
Russian,  and  Japanese  capitalists.  China  was  unwill- 
ing to  submit  to  a  foreign  supervision  with  regard  to 
expenditure  of  the  money  which  might  prevent  her 
maintaining  an  efficient  army  and  navy  for  self-de- 
fense, and  leave  her  a  prey  to  the  nations  who  might 
keep  her  in  a  helpless  condition  for  their  own  interests. 
President  Wilson  wisely  withdrew  the  support  of  the 
American  government  from  this  group  in  order  to 
leave  China  more  free.  A  loan  was  finally  concluded 
with  the  five  nations  for  $125,000,000.  But  the  wise 
contraction  and  expenditure  of  foreign  loans  still  re- 
mains one  of  China's  chief  problems. 


The  New  Era  in  China  107 

3.  International  Relations.  The  problem  of 
China's  international  relations,  and  the  control  of  her 
provinces  and  dependencies  is  most  serious.  For  the 
time  being  Russia  almost  controls  Mongolia,  Tibet 
seems  nearly  lost,  and  many  fear  that  Russia  and 
Japan  may  divide  Manchuria.  On  January  i,  1912, 
Outer  Mongolia  declared  her  independence,  and  on 
April  9  refused  to  join  the  Republic,  and  was  sup- 
ported by  Russia  at  the  Urga  Convention  on  Novem- 
ber 3.  There  is  also  unrest  in  Eastern  Inner  Mon- 
golia, which  has  attempted  to  assert  its  independence. 
Tibet  seized  her  opportunity,  and  besieged  and  drove 
out  the  Chinese  garrisons.  On  August  17,  1912,  the 
British  government  protested  against  China's  hos- 
tilities in  Tibet.  At  the  same  time  Russia  and  Japan 
are  steadily  strengthening  their  hold  in  Manchuria. 
The  revolutionary  forces  have  not  yet  all  been  paid 
and  discharged,  and  bands  of  outlaws  still  continue 
to  plunder  some  of  the  remote  districts.  For  the  next 
decade  or  two  China  may  lose  her  control  over  her 
outlying  provinces,  but  if  she  once  gets  firmly  estab- 
lished she  can  at  leisure  take  them  back  from  any 
power  on  earth,  for  no  nation  can  withstand  her 
within  her  own  borders  once  she  learns  to  govern  her- 
self. Her  real  problem  is  internal  and  is  one  of  good 
government. 

4.  Problem  of  Moral  Character.  But  greater 
than  her  political,  economic,  or  foreign  problem  is  the 
one  underlying  central  problem  of  moral  character. 
This  is  China's  deepest  need  to-day.  It  is  true  that 
she  has  put  Western  nations  to  shame  in  her  heroic 


io8  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

fight  against  the  opium  traffic.  The  moral  conscious- 
ness which  China  possesses  is  her  chief  asset  and  her 
greatest  hope  for  the  future.  The  splendid  precepts 
of  Confucianism  have  produced  in  the  people  a  deeper 
moral  consciousness  than  in  any  other  nation  in  Asia, 
deeper,  probably,  than  that  produced  by  any  non- 
Christian  religion  in  the  world;  but  they  have  not 
solved  her  deepest  problem.  The  missing  link  is  be- 
tween conscience  and  character.  In  many  things 
China  knows  but  cannot  do.  A  giant  among  the 
nations,  she  is  still  pathetically  helpless.  If  China 
fails  it  will  not  be  from  foes  without,  for  as  her  own 
great  Mencius  says,  "A  nation  must  injure  itself  be- 
fore it  can  be  injured  by  others."  It  will  not  be  from 
lack  of  native  ability  or  democratic  spirit  in  her  great 
people.  The  only  fear  is,  as  her  own  leaders  feel 
deeply  to-day,  can  she  produce  enough  honest  men  in 
the  positions  which  determine  the  destiny  of  the  people 
to  secure  an  efficient  government?  For  it  takes  moral 
character  and  honest  officials  successfully  to  develop 
railways,  mines,  and  manufactures. 

Secularizing  Drift.  The  danger  is  further  in- 
creased and  the  need  of  a  moral  and  religious  basis 
for  national  life  is  further  emphasized  by  the  strong 
tendency  toward  secularization  manifest  at  present  in 
China.  The  new  education  bill  passed  by  the  National 
Council  eliminates  all  religion  from  the  schools  of 
China,  and  the  Director  of  Education  of  Kwangtung 
Province  has  refused  to  permit  the  veneration  of  Con- 
fucius in  the  government  schools.  The  grounds  of 
the  sacred  Temple  of  Heaven,  the  most  holy  place  in 


t 


m^-    -*-**AJf 


TEMPLE  OF  HEAVEN 
Grounds  to  be  used  as  an  experiment  farm 


The  New  Era  in  China  109 

China,  are  to  be  used  as  an  experiment  farm.  As 
Mr.  J.  H.  Oldham  in  the  International  Review  of  Mis- 
sions asks,  if  these  two  foundation  pillars,  of  worship 
at  the  Altar  of  Heaven  and  the  veneration  of  Con- 
fucius, be  removed,  how  far  can  the  social  and  po- 
litical structure  of  China  survive,  and  what  faith  is 
to  be  the  support  of  the  new  social  order? 

Christianity  Essential.  After  several  months  in 
China,  visiting  many  of  the  principal  cities,  meeting 
scores  of  officials,  and  seeing  thousands  of  students, 
the  writer  returns  with  the  conviction  that  there  is 
absolutely  no  hope  for  China's  highest  success  apart 
from  a  Christian  civilization.  Numbers  of  officials 
and  non-Christian  leaders  throughout  the  country  feel 
that  this  is  "  China's  only  hope."  What  would 
Europe  have  been  without  Christianity  ?  What  would 
we  have  been?    What  will  China  be? 

China's  Future.  China,  after  four  thousand  years 
of  continuous  history,  with  a  conservative,  law-abid- 
ing, and  naturally  self-governing  and  democratic  peo- 
ple, will  emerge  from  these  times  of  trouble  into  a 
great,  united,  and  stable  republic.  The  nation  which 
built  the  Great  Wall,  which  invented  the  compass  and 
gunpowder  long  before  the  Christian  era,  which  dis- 
covered the  art  of  printing  nearly  a  thousand  years 
ago,  which  gave  to  the  world  her  manufactures  of  por- 
celain and  silk,  this  great  nation  of  scholars  and  of 
skilful  agriculturalists  and  artisans,  which  had  reached 
a  higher  civilization  than  that  of  Europe  when  visited 
by  Marco  Polo  in  the  thirteenth  century,  this  nation, 
with  its  great  past,  is  rising  to-day  in  the  dew  of  its 


no  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

youth,  in  the  dawn  of  a  new  era,  facing  a  yet  greater 
future. 

Our  Best  or  Our  Worst.  We  have  given  her 
much  of  the  worst  side  of  our  civihzation.  Do  we 
not  owe  her  our  best  as  well?  The  ship  that  carries 
the  missionary  carries  also  Western  tobacco,  liquor, 
and  perhaps  opium,  as  well  as  the  godless  sailor  and 
trader  of  the  ports.  We  are  debtors  to  give  the  gos- 
pel so  adequately  and  purely  that  it  shall  triumph 
over  these  forces  of  evil  from  the  West.  We  should 
show  at  least  as  great  enterprise  in  missions  as  in 
trade.  American  oil  is  sold  to-day  in  many  villages 
in  Asia  where  the  gospel  is  not  preached.  The  cigar- 
ette propaganda  is  an  example  of  an  efficient  enter- 
prise. It  was  through  Spain  that  tobacco  was  intro- 
duced into  China  from  North  America  in  1620; 
and  though  prohibited  by  edict  it  became  almost  uni- 
versal both  among  men  and  women  in  China.  The 
Dutch  taught  the  Chinese  to  mix  opium  with  their 
tobacco  about  1650;  later  opium  was  smoked  alone. 
For  over  a  century  China  has  protested  and  fought 
against  it,  sometimes  feebly,  sometimes  forcibly,  but 
she  feels  it  has  been  forced  upon  her  from  the  West. 
Now  that  she  is  breaking  away  from  opium  the 
British-American  Tobacco  Company,  with  others,  is 
giving  away  its  cigarettes  by  the  thousand  to  fasten 
this  habit  upon  the  people  as  they  escape  from  that  of 
opium.  With  the  motto  "  Taste  and  See  "  they  are 
said  to  have  the  aim  of  making  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  in  China  form  the  cigarette  habit.  On  a 
Bteamer  in  which  the  writer  traveled  was  an  agent 


The  New  Era  in  China  iii 

of  one  of  these  companies  taking  a  large  consignment 
of  cigarettes  for  free  distribution  among  the  Chinese. 
No  one  can  deny  their  enterprise  and  efficiency. 
Should  we  show  less  in  giving  the  gospel  to  China? 
As  Professor  Ernest  D.  Burton  in  the  World's  Chi- 
nese Students'  Journal  says,  "  The  open  question  is 
whether  we  shall,  with  our  worst,  give  our  best;  by 
the  gift  of  our  best  atone  for  the  evil  we  have  done  in 
sending  our  worst,  and  at  length  displace  the  evil 
with  the  good." 

An  Urgent  Situation.  China  is  facing  the  period 
of  greatest  peril  in  all  her  history.  It  is  a  time  of 
transition.  The  danger  is  that  the  old  standards  may 
be  temporarily  abandoned  before  the  new  ones  are 
created.  It  might  have  been  safer  if  China  could 
have  had,  for  a  time  at  least,  a  constitutional  mon- 
archy, and  have  prepared  herself  more  gradually  by  a 
longer  course  of  education  for  a  republican  govern- 
ment. But  she  has  a  republic  on  her  hands  and  she 
must  do  something  with  it.  It  might  have  been  better 
if  the  old  religions  could  have  retained  their  power 
until  Christianity  had  taken  a  firmer  hold  upon  the 
people,  but  the  old  supports  are  breaking  down  more 
rapidly  than  the  new  are  taking  their  place  as  yet. 
China  is  making  history  rapidly  for  her  own  weal  or 
wo.  If  ever  a  nation  needed  help  it  is  China  to-day. 
Every  nation  has  its  problems,  but  where  else  is  there 
a  population  so  vast  which  is  facing  problems  so 
great?    If  we  are  ever  to  help  China  it  must  be  now. 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  CHINA  (Continued) 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  CHINA  (Continued) 

Official  Classes  Now  Responsive.  In  reviewing 
first  of  all  the  hopeful  features  of  the  situation,  let  us 
observe  the  complete  change  of  attitude  toward  West- 
em  civilization  and  Christianity  on  the  part  of  the 
official  classes.  To  appreciate  this  change  we  should 
recall  their  former  attitude.  Let  us  remember  that  the 
combined  foreign  powers  had  to  struggle  for  twenty- 
five  years  (till  the  Treaty  of  Peking  in  i860)  before 
China  would  consent  to  receive  foreign  envoys  at  her 
capital,  even  as  despised  inferiors.  Let  us  not  forget 
that  for  forty  years  more  the  officials  and  literati  re- 
sented the  presence  of  the  foreigner.  A  leading 
worker  in  China  stated  that  he  would  have  felt  well 
repaid  if  he  could  have  been  the  means  of  the  con- 
version of  even  one  of  these  officials  or  literati  in  his 
lifetime,  and  had  he  been  offered  the  opportunity  of 
winning  as  many  as  twelve  of  these  men  as  the  work 
of  a  lifetime,  he  would  gladly  have  given  his  life  for 
the  chance.  But  now  a  door  of  access  is  thrown  wide 
open  to  these  hitherto  inaccessible  classes.  Almost 
every  missionary  in  every  part  of  the  country  can 
testify  to  this  sudden  and  surprising  change.  The 
writer  noticed  this  especially  on  his  recent  tour. 

"5 


Ii6  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Representative  Men  at  a  Banquet.  On  arrival 
in  Shanghai  a  banquet  was  given  to  welcome  Dr. 
Mott  and  myself.  It  was  a  sight  to  see  the  leaders 
of  this  young  republic,  arrayed  in  evening  dress, 
gathering  in  the  Palace  Hotel  some  two  hundred 
strong.  In  the  chair  was  Mr.  K.  S.  Wong,  business 
manager  of  China's  great  iron  and  steel  works,  and 
perhaps  the  future  Carnegie  of  China.  In  these 
works,  employing  over  4,000  workmen,  we  saw  skilled 
laborers  turning  out  the  finest  steel  rails  with  which 
to  build  the  new  railways  of  China,  which  will  stretch 
from  Shanghai  to  Burma  and  from  Canton  in  the 
south  to  Siberia  in  the  north.  On  the  left  sat  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Wu  Ting-fang,  former  minister  in 
Washington,  who  represented  the  revolutionary  forces 
in  the  negotiations  with  the  Manchus  in  forming  the 
new  Republic  of  China.  Next  him  sat  the  manager 
of  the  Nanking  Railway,  a  graduate  of  Yale.  Though 
not  a  Christian  he  said :  "  Confucianism  has  supplied 
China  with  precepts  in  the  past,  but  China  impera- 
tively needs  Christianity  to-day  to  furnish  her  with 
moral  power.  Many  leading  men  are  now  turning 
toward  Christianity  as  the  hope  of  China;  it  is  a  sign 
of  the  times."    Others  gave  the  same  testimony. 

Requests  Show  Changed  Attitude.  On  Dr. 
Mott's  right  at  the  banquet  sat  a  Confucianist,  who 
had  made  a  six  hours'  journey  to  Shanghai  as  the 
special  representative  of  the  governor  at  Hangchow, 
to  ask  for  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  build- 
ing and  officially  to  request  the  organization  of  an 
Association  in  their  city,  the  governor  promising  to 


The  New  Era  in  China  117 

give  the  site.  Requests  similar  to  this  are  coming  in 
from  various  parts  of  China. 

How  the  Work  Spreads.  The  attitude  of  several 
other  governors  in  various  parts  of  China  is  typical 
of  the  complete  change  under  the  new  regime.  The 
Provincial  Assembly  of  Kirin  in  northern  Manchuria 
showed  their  confidence  in  this  Christian  work  for 
young  men  by  voting  to  request  the  extension  of  the 
Association  throughout  the  cities  of  their  province. 
The  governor  in  southern  Manchuria  erected  at  his 
own  expense  a  great  hall  for  the  evangelistic  meetings. 
The  writer  interviewed  on  two  succeeding  days  the  two 
generals  who  had  commanded  both  the  northern  and 
southern  armies  and  had  led  the  two  forces  in  the 
recent  revolution.  Both  are  now  governors,  and  both 
spoke  enthusiastically  of  the  Christian  work  for  young 
men  going  on  in  their  city.  Each  of  them  asked  that 
it  should  be  extended  to  help  the  young  men  of  the 
province  at  this  time.  General  Li  Yuan-hung,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Republic,  who  commanded  the  south- 
ern army,  was  particularly  cordial.  He  gave  us  a 
European  luncheon,  and  discussed  with  us  the  moral 
conditions  of  the  young  men  of  his  province.  Both 
these  governors  are  themselves  liberal  supporters  of 
the  work. 

Openings  in  Western  Provinces.  The  two  gov- 
ernors in  the  extreme  western  provinces  on  the  borders 
of  Burma  and  Tibet  have  shown  the  same  remarkable 
spirit  of  cordial  cooperation.  In  one  of  these  prov- 
inces, which  seemed  the  last  stronghold  to  yield  to 
mission  effort,  where,  apart  from  the  aborigines,  thirty 


Ii8  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

years  of  work  had  yielded  less  than  one  hundred  con- 
verts even  from  the  lower  classes,  and  where  the  hearts 
of  high  and  low  alike  seemed  hardened  to  the  gospel 
message,  the  new  era  was  introduced  by  two  Chinese 
students  who  had  just  returned  from  Japan.  There 
they  had  been  won  to  Christ  in  the  local  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  upon  their  return  they  told 
the  governor  that  a  political  revolution  was  not  enough. 
It  was  necessary  they  said  to  change  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  They  urged  him  to  lend  his  assistance  in 
founding  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  The 
governor  granted  them  a  large  Buddhist  temple  for 
the  use  of  the  new  Association.  The  students  ground 
the  idols  to  powder,  and  used  them  to  make  bricks 
for  repairing  the  building.  The  missionaries  were 
called  in  to  address  the  crowds  that  daily  poured  in  to 
listen  to  the  gospel  message.  It  was,  perhaps,  the 
hardest  city  and  province  to  influence  in  the  whole  of 
China,  and  yet  in  a  day  all  was  changed.  Favorable 
edicts  were  issued  throughout  the  city  and  province 
concerning  the  work.  Non-Christian  Confucian  lead- 
ers began  to  demand  the  formation  of  Christian  Asso- 
ciations in  other  cities  of  the  province,  and  the  work 
is  still  spreading. 

Individual  Transformation.  Having  observed  the 
changed  attitude  of  the  officials  and  leaders  of  China, 
let  us  note  the  transformation  in  individual  character 
wrought  by  Christianity  in  the  new  era.  Only  the 
Christian  ideal,  realized  in  the  lives  of  true  patriots, 
can  save  and  uplift  China.  There  is  C.  T.  Wang,  of 
Yale,  who  has  had  such  a  brilliant  career  in  the  young 


C.  T.  WANG 

I  must  go  to  the  front.     This  is  the  hour  of  my  country's  need 


The  New  Era  in  China  119 

republic.  He  was  trained  in  a  Christian  home  as  the 
son  of  a  humble  preacher  of  the  gospel.  Finally  he 
became  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, and  the  writer  observed  his  able  work  among 
his  fellow  Chinese  students  when  in  Tokyo  seven  years 
ago.  Later  he  graduated  from  Yale  with  high  honors, 
and  as  Secretary  of  the  Chinese  Student  Movement 
in  America  was  the  recognized  leader  of  the  hundreds 
of  Chinese  students  in  this  country.  His  burning  and 
fervid  appeals  for  China  will  long  be  remembered  by 
all  who  heard  him  deliver  addresses  in  the  United 
States,  in  Canada,  in  Constantinople,  and  elsewhere, 
for  he  is  a  true  orator  in  the  highest  sense  of  the 
word. 

He  Goes  to  the  Front.  Upon  his  return  to  China 
he  again  entered  the  service  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  as  a  National  Secretary.  Then  came 
the  revolution.  Without  risking  his  life  his  own  posi- 
tion would  have  been  assured.  He  had  only  to  wait 
till  the  revolution  blew  over  and  he  could  have  received 
a  high  office  from  either  party  that  was  successful,  but 
he  said :  "  I  must  go  to  the  front.  This  is  the  hour  of 
my  country's  need.  The  revolution  may  fail,  or  it 
may  succeed.  If  it  fails  I  could  never  forget  that  in 
the  hour  of  the  nation's  need,  at  the  crisis  of  her  fate, 
I  did  not  put  my  life  upon  the  altar.  Should  it  suc- 
ceed I  would  then  have  waited  until  there  was  no 
longer  any  risk,  and  I  would  have  had  no  part  in 
China's  fight  for  freedom.  No,  I  must  join  the  move- 
ment when  there  is  a  chance  to  die."  So  saying,  he 
started  for  the  front. 


120  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

During  the  War  and  After.  Serving  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Red  Cross  work,  helping  the  wounded,  he  was 
soon  made  a  member  of  General  Li's  staff,  and  acted 
as  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  under  him  in  the  pro- 
visional government.  The  Vice-President,  then  Gen- 
eral Li  Yuan-hung,  sent  him  to  be  one  of  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  revolutionary  forces  in  the  negotia- 
tions for  peace.  When  Dr.  Sun  Yat-sen  became  the 
Provisional  President  of  the  Republic,  Mr.  Wang  be- 
came his  personal  representative  in  important  negotia- 
tions. Elected  a  member  of  the  National  Senate  he 
was  a  factor  for  peace  and  unity  in  reconciling  the 
contending  forces  of  the  north  and  south  in  seeking 
to  hold  China  together.  Soon  he  was  called  to  be 
Acting  Minister  of  Commerce  in  Yuan  Shih-kai's 
Cabinet,  but  as  soon  as  his  work  permitted  he  left 
that  post  to  return  again  to  Christian  work.  During 
recent  months  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  great  plan 
for  constructing  the  new  railway  system  by  the  Cen- 
tral Railway  Company  of  China. 

A  Reformer  and  Christian  Leader.  Mr.  Wang  is 
no  idle  dreamer,  but  a  practical  reformer  and  leader  of 
men.  Recently  he  has  been  elected  Vice-President  of 
the  new  Senate  in  Peking,  and  with  some  sixty  other 
Christians  in  that  great  body  is  laboring  with  high 
purpose  and  splendid  self-denial  as  a  burning  patriot 
for  the  welfare  of  China.  Perhaps  more  than  any 
man  in  China  to-day  he  is  playing  the  part  that  Alex- 
ander Hamilton  played  in  the  constructive  period  after 
the  American  Revolution.  In  a  recent  address  in 
Shanghai  he  said :  "  China  is  poor  to-day,  not  for  lack 


The  New  Era  in  China  121 

of  resources,  but  because  our  one  burning  need  is  for 
moral  character  and  for  moral  leadership.  Chris- 
tianity alone  can  supply  this  need  for  China." 

Chang  Po-ling,  Educator.  Another  typical  man  of 
the  new  era  is  Chang  Po-ling,  the  Arnold,  not  of 
Rugby,  but  of  North  China.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
the  Imperial  Naval  College  and  an  officer  in  the  Chi- 
nese navy.  He  resigned  from  the  navy  because  he 
felt  that  China's  greatest  need  was  education.  He 
was  invited  by  the  gifted  Mr.  Yen  Hsiu  to  aid  him  in 
his  educational  program.  Mr.  Yen  was,  perhaps,  the 
greatest  of  China's  modern  educators.  As  the  head 
of  the  Board  of  Education  in  the  metropolitan  province 
of  Chihli  he  raised  the  number  of  students  within  his 
province  from  two  thousand  to  two  hundred  and  fif- 
teen thousand  within  the  seven  years  following  1903. 
He  then  became  Vice-President  and  acting  head  of  the 
Imperial  Board  of  Education  for  the  whole  empire. 
Under  his  patronage,  and  with  the  generous  contribu- 
tions of  the  gentry  and  officials  of  thousands  of  dollars, 
a  model  educational  institution  was  started  in  Tien- 
tsin, and  Mr.  Chang  was  made  the  principal  or  presi- 
dent. So  famous  has  this  college  become  that  it  now 
enrolls  students  from  all  the  eighteen  provinces  of 
China,  and  Chang  has  left  his  stamp  on  every  student, 
as  Arnold  did  at  Rugby. 

Inquiring  the  Way.  Professor  Robertson  came  in 
contact  with  Mr.  Chang  and  through  his  personal 
friendship  for  him  helped  him  by  lecturing  in  his 
college.  Mr.  Chang's  mother  had  been  an  earnest 
Buddhist,  his  father  a  strict  Confucianist,  but  through 


122  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

the  materialistic  writings  of  Spencer  and  Huxley 
Chang  himself  had  become  a  Confucian  atheist.  Op- 
pressed by  the  problem  of  evil  and  human  suffering, 
he  became  a  confirmed  pessimist  and  was  deeply  dis- 
couraged over  the  condition  of  China,  which  seemed 
to  be  drifting  upon  the  rocks.  When  he  unburdened 
his  heart  to  Robertson  he  said :  *'  I  notice  that  you 
Christians  seem  to  have  some  hidden  source  of  joy  and 
peace  and  power.  What  is  the  secret  of  this  power?  " 
Robertson  invited  him  to  join  him  in  studying  the 
Bible  and  they  began  with  the  problems  of  the  book 
of  Job  and  then  studied  the  life  of  Christ.  Months 
passed  and  their  friendship  grew.  When  Mr.  Chang 
was  appointed  a  representative  of  his  province  on  a 
commission  which  was  sent  to  visit  America  and 
Europe,  Robertson  invited  him  to  his  home  before  his 
departure. 

Conversion  and  Witness-bearing.  Till  nearly 
midnight  one  evening  Mr.  Chang  told  the  writer  the 
thrilling  story  of  his  conversion.  On  the  night  before 
his  departure  Robertson  spoke  to  him  again  of  Christ, 
and  asked  him  if  he  would  join  him  in  prayer.  Chang 
said  that,  as  he  knelt  to  pray,  it  seemed  as  if  a  great 
light  filled  his  soul  and  flooded  his  whole  being.  His 
conversion  seemed  almost  as  clear  and  instantaneous 
and  revolutionary  as  the  blinding  vision  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  himself.  He  knelt  an  agnostic,  he  rose  a  Chris- 
tian; he  knelt  a  pessimist,  he  rose  an  optimist.  The 
face  of  all  the  world  seemed  changed;  he  looked  out 
upon  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth.  The  whole  night 
he  could  not  sleep  for  joy.    In  the  morning  he  said: 


The  New  Era  in  China  123 

"*'  I  have  been  drifting  for  ten  years  like  a  ship  at  sea 
without  chart  or  compass;  now  I  know  where  I  am 
going."  He  hastened  to  Tientsin,  and  spent  the  first 
day  with  his  family  telHng  them  of  his  decision.  The 
next  day  he  went  to  his  college,  and  called  together 
the  teachers  and  students,  and  finally  the  Board  of 
Directors.  One  can  see  those  proud  officials  in  their 
flowing  silk  robes  as  they  come  into  the  room.  The 
young  man  with  glowing  face  tells  them  why  he  has 
become  a  Christian,  and  opening  the  Scriptures  reasons 
with  them  with  that  loving  sympathy  and  joyous  en- 
thusiasm that  to  this  day  marks  his  every  utterance. 
He  resigned  his  college  position  that  his  presence  as 
a  Christian  might  not  embarrass  the  administration, 
for  he  could  not  bow  to  the  tablet  of  Confucius.  The 
next  day  he  journeyed  to  Peking,  and  spent  the  day 
with  the  officials,  boldly  telling  them  the  reasons  for 
his  decision.  A  whole  week  was  spent  with  these  men, 
especially  with  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  who 
was  his  best  friend.  Opening  his  heart,  and  opening 
up  the  Scriptures  as  well,  he  told  them  of  his  wonder- 
ful experience.  Finally,  they  said :  "  Well,  be  a  Chris- 
tion  if  you  must,  but  be  a  Christian  in  secret;  do  not 
resign  your  college  position,  we  cannot  spare  you. 
Simply  bow  to  the  tablet  of  Confucius;  it  is  only  an 
empty,  outward  form,  and  you  can  believe  what  you 
like  in  your  heart."  But  Chang  stood  firm  and  with 
his  winsome  smile  said :  "  A  few  days  ago  One  came 
to  dwell  within  my  heart.  He  has  changed  all  life 
for  me  forever.  I  dare  not  bow  to  any  other  lest  he 
depart."    When  urged  by  some  of  his  Christian  friends 


124  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

to  be  more  cautious,  he  said  boldly :  ^'  I  want  every- 
body to  know  that  Chang  Po-ling  has  become  a  Chris- 
tian." 

Reinstated  and  Working.  After  spending  six 
months  in  America  and  Europe  visiting  the  leading 
institutions,  he  returned  to  give  his  report  in  China. 
He  was  then  called  to  be  the  President  of  his  old 
college  as  a  recognized  Christian  leader,  and  he  occu- 
pies that  position  to-day.  When  during  the  student 
strike  he  was  asked  to  lead  some  three  thousand  stu- 
dents to  present  their  petition  to  the  Throne  regard- 
ing the  wrongs  in  Manchuria,  he  stood  firm  before 
all  their  threats.  Though  they  offered  him  the  power 
of  life  and  death  over  them  as  their  leader,  he 
persuaded  them  to  go  back  to  their  institutions- 
and  resume  their  work.  Two  years  ago  he  or- 
ganized a  church  in  his  city.  When  the  writer 
visited  Tientsin  he  saw  that  wonderful  church 
crowded  to  the  doors.  Some  twenty  of  Mr. 
Chang's  professors  and  students  had  already  been 
baptized,  and  a  hundred  men  from  the  leading  classes 
had  united  with  the  church  within  the  past  two  years. 
Night  after  night  he  presided  at  the  evangelistic  meet- 
ings and  swayed  a  vast  audience  of  two  thousand  stu- 
dents as  he  gave  his  ringing  testimony  for  Christ  with 
such  sweet  reasonableness  and  joyous  fervor  that  re- 
peatedly that  great  audience  of  non-Christian  govern- 
ment students  broke  out  into  applause.  After  one  of 
the  meetings  the  writer  saw  him  step  up  to  a  non- 
Christian  Chinese  gentleman  of  wealth  and  position. 
He  said :  "  My  friend,  I  have  been  praying  for  you 


The  New  Era  in  China  125 

daily  by  name  for  many  months.  Will  you  not  now 
decide  to  accept  Christ  as  your  Savior ? "  "I  will/' 
replied  the  man.  "  You  have  long  studied  the  matter ; 
will  you  not  be  baptized  and  join  our  church  to-morrow 
morning?"  Chang  asked.  Again  came  the  reply,  "1 
will,"  and  the  writer  saw  this  man  with  some  of  the 
government  students  admitted  to  the  church  the  next 
morning.  Mr.  Chang's  younger  brother  became  one 
of  the  first  student  volunteers  in  China,  and  is  to-day 
one  of  the  most  prominent  students  being  educated  in 
America.  A  growing  company  of  men  are  going  out 
from  Mr.  Chang's  college  with  the  stamp  of  his  own 
life  and  character  upon  them.  It  is  such  men  who 
are  to  be  the  makers  of  the  new  republic. 

New  Leaders  through  a  New  Religion.  Thus 
the  power  of  the  new  age  is  manifesting  itself  in  the 
lives  of  China's  leaders.  When  we  look  from  the  lives 
of  the  former  leaders  to  men  like  Chang  Po-ling,  we 
have  passed  from  the  old  era  to  the  new,  and  a  great 
gulf  separates  the  two;  it  is  as  wide  as  that  which 
separates  Confucianism  from  Christianity.  Thus,  the 
spirit  of  the  new  age  is  seen  to-day  throughout  China 
in  the  new  attitude  of  her  officials,  but  most  of  all 
in  the  lives  of  the  Christian  men  who  are  to  leaven  the 
whole  nation  and  to  lift  the  young  republic  into  a 
place  of  power. 

The  City  of  Martyrs,  Paotingfu.  Nowhere  is  the 
contrast  between  the  old  era  and  the  new  more  strik- 
ing and  dramatic  than  in  such  a  city  as  Paotingfu, 
amid  scenes  of  the  Boxer  uprising.  We  visited  the 
city  just  after  the  revolution.     We  spent  twenty-four 


126  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

hours  crowded  with  glorious  opportunity  in  this  city 
made  sacred  by  the  blood  of  the  martyrs.  I  had  long 
wished  to  preach  the  gospel  where  my  friend  and 
classmate,  Horace  Pitkin,  laid  down  his  life  for  China 
before  he  had  time  to  learn  the  language  or  win  a 
single  convert,  and  where  more  than  forty  other  mis- 
sionaries and  Chinese  Christian  workers  were  mas- 
sacred. We  stood  beside  the  white  stone  that  marks 
the  grave  of  Pitkin  to  draw  new  inspiration  for  the 
work,  and  reconsecrated  ourselves  to  the  Master  whom 
he  served  so  well. 

Ringing  Words  of  Pitkin.  The  crisis  came  on 
June  30,  1900,  for  the  missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  in  Paotingfu.  Five  foreign  missionaries  and 
three  children,  together  with  a  company  of  faithful 
Chinese  Christians,  received  the  martyr's  crown.  Pit- 
kin's spirit  is  reflected  in  the  last  letter  the  writer 
received  from  him  in  India :  "  It  may  be  the  beginning 
of  the  end.  God  rules,  and  somehow  his  kingdom 
must  be  brought  about  in  China.  .  .  .  We  may  not 
be  left  to  see  the  end.  It  is  a  grand  cause  to  die  in. 
Jesus  shall  reign,  but  we  hope  that  long  life  may  be 
for  us  in  this  work.  Our  affectionate  greetings  to 
you  all.  .  .  .  God  leads,  thank  God,  he  does.  We  can- 
not go  out  to  fight.  We  must  sit  still,  do  our  work, 
and  take  whatever  is  sent  us.  It  will  be  but  a  short 
time  before  we  know  definitely  whether  we  can  serve 
him  better  above  or  not.  .  .  .  We  cannot  be  sure  of 
a  single  day's  life.    Work  and  pray  for  us.'* 

All  Doors  Now  Open.  How  great  the  change  to- 
day !    The  city  gates  are  open,  the  people  are  friendly. 


THE  GRAVE  OF  PITKIN 

We  stood  beside  the  white  stone  that  marks  the    grave  of  Pitkin  to  draw 

new  inspiration  for  the  work  " 


The  New  Era  in  China  127 

the  former  palace  of  the  old  Empress  Dowager  houses 
a  modem  government  university.  We  went  from  the 
martyrs'  graves  to  our  meeting  at  the  Li  Hung-chang 
Memorial  Temple,  which  had  been  generously  given 
us  for  a  Christian  service.  The  missionaries  estimated 
the  attendance  of  government  students  at  the  first 
meeting  at  three  thousand.  More  than  half  these  men 
were  standing  for  nearly  two  hours  during  the  address, 
while  several  hundred  were  turned  away  from  the 
doors  for  lack  of  room.  We  gave  three  addresses  in 
succession  without  a  break,  and  as  we  closed,  in  speak- 
ing on  the  cross  of  Christ,  we  could  find  no  better 
illustration  than  the  death  of  Pitkin  himself,  for  there 
were  men  in  that  audience,  doubtless,  who  had  seen 
these  martyrs  die.  We  told  them  of  his  farewell  mes- 
sage to  his  wife  in  America :  "  Tell  her  that  God  was 
with  me  at  the  last,  that  his  peace  was  my  consolation ; 
tell  her  to  send  our  boy  Horace  to  Yale,  and  tell  him 
twenty-five  years  from  now  to  come  out  and  take  up 
my  work  in  China."  After  warning  them  that  follow- 
ing Christ  would  mean  opposition,  if  not  persecution, 
nearly  three  hundred  signed  cards  as  inquirers,  prom- 
ising to  enter  Bible  classes.  In  the  meeting  with  these 
inquirers  in  the  evening,  ninety  of  them,  who  already 
knew  something  of  Christianity,  rose,  promising  to 
become  Christians,  to  be  baptized  and  join  the  church. 
Some  of  them  have  already  done  so.  After  leaving 
the  meeting  with  the  inquirers  we  hastened  outside 
the  city  at  the  invitation  of  the  authorities  of  the 
Military  Academy,  which  is  training  fifteen  hundred 
cadets  as  the  future  officers  of  China's  army,  to  ad- 


128  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

dress  these  men  drawn  up  at  "  attention "  out  of 
doors,  in  the  bitter  cold,  at  ten  o'clock  at  night.  .  The 
general  and  his  staff  were  present,  and  we  had  per- 
fect freedom  to   speak  upon   Christianity. 

Growth  of  Christian  Missions.  At  last  Christian 
missions  are  coming  to  their  own  in  China,  and  that 
after  centuries  of  waiting.  Early  in  the  sixth  century 
the  Nestorian  Christians  had  entered  China,  but  had 
not  survived  the  persecution  of  those  early  centuries. 
As  early  as  the  thirteenth  century  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries  entered  the  country,  and  the  community 
of  Roman  Christians  now  numbers  over  a  million  per- 
sons. In  Protestant  missions,  the  years  from  1807 
to  1842  mark  the  Period  of  Preparation  begun  by 
Morrison.  From  1842  to  i860,  beginning  with  the 
opening  of  the  first  five  ports  by  the  Treaty  of  Nan- 
king, is  known  as  the  Period  of  the  Port  Cities,  when 
mission  work  was  almost  impossible  in  the  interior. 
From  i860  to  1900  has  been  called  the  Period  of 
Penetration  and  Progress,  as  Hudson  Taylor  and 
the  members  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  and  other 
societies  pressed  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 
From  1900,  the  New  Era  begins  with  the  fall  of  the 
older  order.  In  1910  there  were  5,144  Protestant  and 
1,475  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  in  China.  Prot- 
estant missions  were  conducting  170  hospitals,  14  or- 
phanages, 16  leper  asylums,  and  100  opium  refuges. 
There  were  553  mission  colleges,  academies,  and 
higher  institutions,  and  3,708  primary  institutions, 
with  117,000  pupils.  The  number  of  Protestant  ad- 
herents was  324,890.     The  Church  instead  of  being 


The  New  Era  in  China  129 

^iped  out  has  gained  nearly  80  per  cent,  since  the 
Boxer  uprising.  The  Bible  Societies  have  printed  and 
distributed  46,400,000  Bibles  and  portions.  The  in- 
crease of  the  Protestant  communicants  in  China  may 
he  seen  by  the  following  table: 

1807    Protestant   Communicants o 


1814 
1842 

1853 
i860 
1876 
1889 
1900 
1910 


I 

6 

350 

960 

13,515 

37,000 

113,000 

196,000 


Christian  Problems.  We  have  reviewed  the  hope- 
ful features  of  the  situation  in  China  as  seen  in  the 
attitude  of  the  officials,  of  individual  converts,  and  in 
the  centers  of  the  Boxer  uprising.  Let  us  now  notice 
some  of  the  problems  facing  the  Christian  Church  in 
China  to-day. 

1.  The  New  Classes  Made  Accessible.  The 
native  Church  in  China  is  faced  by  the  problem  of  tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  opening  suddenly  presented  to 
reach  the  official  and  leading  classes  when  it  has  an 
insufficiency  of  highly  educated  leaders  adapted  to 
such  work.  There  is  the  problem  of  handling  the  large 
number  of  inquirers  from  the  government  student 
class,  and  of  taking  immediate  advantage  of  the  pres- 
ent evangelistic  opportunity  in  China  to-day. 

2.  The  New  Religious  Workers  Needed.  There 
is  the  problem  of  raising  up  speedily  an  adequately 
trained  ministry  and  a  sufficient  force  of  strong  lay 


130  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

workers  to  meet  the  present  unprecedented  situation 
in  China.  Since  the  Christian  Church  was  drawn  at 
first  necessarily  from  among  the  obscure  and  the  poor,, 
the  ministry  was  not  highly  trained,  though  recruited 
from  the  best  class  available.  The  situation  would 
be  even  more  grave  than  it  is  to-day  were  it  not  for 
the  work  of  Pastor  Ding  Li-mei,  who  has  been  used 
of  God  to  lead  an  indigenous  Student  Volunteer 
Movement  to  raise  up  men  for  the  ministry.  Some 
hundreds  of  the  most  gifted  students  have  enrolled 
and  signed  the  volunteer  declaration  to  give  their  lives 
to  the  ministry  in  China.  This  means  accepting  a 
salary  often  of  one  fifth  or  even  one  tenth  the  amount 
they  could  receive  in  government  service.  There  is  all 
the  more  need  of  raising  up  a  trained  ministry  in  this 
period  of  transition  in  China.  The  educated  classes 
are  prepared  to  consider  the  claims  of  Christianity  if 
they  are  intelligently  presented.  The  Church  is  facing 
to-day  a  revival  and  reconstruction  of  the  old  religions, 
on  the  part  at  least  of  an  educated  minority.  There 
is  a  "  neo-Confucianism,"  just  as  there  is  a  revival 
of  Hinduism  in  India.  There  is  a  revival  of  Bud- 
dhism, though  not  on  a  large  scale  as  yet ;  for,  not  be- 
ing native  to  China  and  having  appealed  more  to  the 
ignorant  masses,  it  does  not  present  the  same  claim 
upon  the  patriotic  leaders  of  China  as  an  indigenous 
religion.  There  is  a  new  eclecticism  springing  up 
similar  to  the  movement  in  Japan,  though  not  so  pro- 
nounced as  yet  as  that  in  India.  There  is  a  cult  in 
China  which  calls  itself  "  Confucio-Christianity." 
Many  of  the  educated  Chinese  are  trying  to  receive 


The  New  Era  in  China  131 

the  best  in  all  religions,  without  professing  allegiance 
to  any  one  of  them,  not  having  found  as  yet  that 
this  has  been  tried  repeatedly  but  has  always  proved 
a  failure  in  the  end. 

3.  Relation  of  Foreign  and  Native  Forces.  The 
problem  of  right  relations  between  the  foreign  and 
Chinese  forces  is  a  very  real  one.  This  great  nation 
is  in  a  most  sensitive,  adolescent  period.  There  are 
many  foreigners  who  do  not  realize  the  changes  in 
China  itself,  and  who  have  not  been  able  to  adjust 
themselves  to  the  new  era.  A  student  from  the  West 
who  contemplates  going  as  a  missionary  to  cultured 
lands  of  the  East,  like  Japan,  China,  or  India,  with 
their  ancient  systems  of  philosophy  and  religion,  and 
their  superior  courtesy,  should  not  be  sent  abroad  if 
he  goes  with  any  mistaken  notion  that  he  is  to  be  a 
prominent  leader,  superintendent,  or  dictator,  who  is 
to  employ  and  direct  native  helpers.  Rather,  the  for- 
eigner should  go  to  help  these  great  leaders  of  the 
East.  He  will  find  in  many  respects  that  he,  as  well 
as  his  barbarous  ancestors,  is  inferior  to  the  culture 
and  courtesy  of  the  blue  blood  of  some  of  these  an- 
cient nations. 

4.  Question  of  Church  Unity.  The  problem  of 
church  unity  and  the  question  of  comity,  coopera- 
tion, and  interdenominational  relationships  has  not 
yet  been  solved  in  China.  The  Chinese  do  not 
appreciate  nor  value  the  denominational  differences 
of  the  West.  They  are  impatient  with  divisions  which 
keep  them  apart,  which  were  not  created  by  them, 
and  which  they  say  have  no  meaning  for  them.    How- 


132  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

ever  precious  some  of  these  differences  are  to  those 
who  fought  for  great  principles  in  the  past,  they 
themselves  feel  more  ready  to  fight  for  unity  than  to 
perpetuate  division.  A  number  of  independent 
churches  are  already  springing  up  in  different  parts 
of  China.  It  will  be  well  if  there  is  a  careful  diag- 
nosis of  the  situation  in  time  to  prevent  a  wide-spread 
disaffection.  If  foreigners  are  not  prepared  to  lead 
in  the  movement  for  unity  themselves,  the  Chinese 
will  take  the  lead.  But  this  very  independence  and 
ability  for  leadership  raises  grave  problems  among  a 
people  who  have  but  little  experience  in  Christianity, 
and  who  may  not  realize  all  the  issues  involved  nor 
know  all  the  lessons  of  Christian  history. 

Special  Needs.  How  then  are  we  to  meet  the 
present  situation  in  China?  In  addition  to  the  four 
suggestions  already  made  as  to  the  demands  of  the 
situation  in  Japan,  China  seems  to  need  at  this  time 
the  following: 

I.  Adequate  Trained  Foreign  Force.  There  is 
need  of  an  adequate  force  of  trained  Christian  work- 
ers from  abroad.  Once  again,  what  we  do  for  China 
must  be  done  quickly.  A  race  so  strong,  so  independ- 
ent, and  so  gifted  in  leadership  may  not  long  be  will- 
ing to  receive  help  from  without  even  when  it  is 
needed.  The  present  forces  in  China  are  inadequate 
to  cope  with  the  situation.  Our  missionary  staff 
should  be  greatly  strengthened  and  extended,  and  we 
should  study  national  strategy  in  dealing  with  so  vast 
a  problem  as  that  which  confronts  the  Church  in 
China. 


The  New  Era  in  China  133 

2.  Enlarged  Educational  Work.  We  should 
greatly  strengthen  the  present  Christian  educational 
system  in  China.  For  years  to  come  the  government 
will  be  unable  to  supply  education  for  the  whole  pop- 
ulation. Even  when  it  does  so,  the  example  of  secular 
education  in  Japan  proves  how  inadequate  it  may  be. 
Strong  Christian  universities  should  be  established  at 
certain  strategic  centers,  and  the  entire  system  of  edu- 
cation of  the  surrounding  provinces  coordinated  and 
related  to  these  universities.  The  Christian  colleges 
of  China,  such  as  St.  John's  University  in  Shanghai, 
Boone  College  in  Wuchang,  the  Canton  Christian  Col- 
lege in  South  China,  the  Shantung  Christian  Uni- 
versity, Peking  University,  and  other  institutions  in 
the  North,  have  trained  notable  Christian  leaders,  and 
together  with  the  returned  students  from  abroad  are 
furnishing  the  men  who  alone  can  solve  the  problems 
of  China  to-day. 

3.  New  Leaders.  Able  Chinese  Christian  lead- 
ers must  be  raised  up  from  among  the  young  men 
of  China  who  are  outside  of  the  relatively  small  num- 
ber of  mission  institutions.  The  3,000  Chinese  stu- 
dents studying  in  Japan,  the  1,000  in  America,  and 
nearly  200  in  Europe,  together  with  the  large  numbers 
in  the  government  colleges  of  China,  furnish  a  field 
for  evangelistic  effort  and  influence.  Every  Chinese 
leader  won  is  an  asset  for  the  republic.  We  should 
spare  no  pains  to  raise  up  an  adequate  Christian 
leadership  for  China. 

A  Manifest  Work  of  God.  It  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  greater  changes  have  been  wrought  in  the 


134  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

form  and  principles  and  spirit  of  the  life  of  this  most 
conservative  nation  of  history  during  the  last  decade 
than  in  the  four  thousand  years  of  China's  history  be- 
fore the  landing  of  Robert  Morrison.  Such  an  effect 
must  have  an  adequate  cause.  If  v^e  believe  in  a  phi- 
losophy of  history,  if  ever  God  has  been  at  work 
anywhere,  surely  he  is  working  in  China  before  our 
very  eyes.  "  Behold  I  work  a  work  in  your  days 
which  you  will  in  no  wise  believe."  It  is  always 
easier  to  relegate  God's  mighty  works  to  the  past,  or 
to  postpone  them  to  an  ever-retreating  future  than  to 
expect  or  to  discern  God's  work  in  the  all-important 
present.  But  we  cannot  deny  the  argument  of  solid 
facts. 

Call  of  the  Present  Crisis.  For  a  century  the 
Church  prayed  for  open  doors  in  Asia.  It  would  be 
almost  blasphemy  to  pray  that  prayer  in  China  to-day. 
Rather,  God  seems  to  be  saying  in  the  unmistakable 
logic  of  events :  "  I  have  begun  to  deliver.  .  .  .  Go 
in  and  possess  the  land."  If  we  care  at  all  how  the 
other  half  lives,  if  humanity  is  anything  more  than  a 
mere  name,  if  religion  is  more  than  a  dead  rite  or 
empty  form,  surely  it  must  move  us  to  the  depths  to 
behold  one  fourth  of  the  human  race  struggling  up 
out  of  ages  of  bondage  and  darkness  toward  the  light 
and  liberty  of  Christian  civilization.  Here  are  the 
facts  confronting  us.  What  are  we  going  to  do  about 
them?  More  can  be  done  in  a  decade  now  than  in 
a  whole  generation  in  the  future  if  we  lose  this  one 
priceless  opportunity.  As  an  African  proverb  says, 
"  The  dawn  comes  not  twice  to  waken  a  man."    Where 


The  New  Era  in  China  135 

else  in  all  the  world  is  there  another  nation  of  four 
hundred  millions  so  open  to  the  gospel?  At  what 
period  in  history  has  the  Church  been  confronted  with 
such  a  population,  with  such  a  mass  of  humanity  wait- 
ing before  its  doors?  But  China's  appeal  is  not  only 
quantitative  but  qualitative.  She  is  as  colossal  in  her 
character  as  in  her  numbers.  It  is  her  deep  moral 
earnestness  that  is  so  characteristic  of  China.  Her 
greatest  asset  is  in  her  people.  They  are  a  noble  race, 
fit  to  survive.  They  constitute  not  a  "  yellow  peril " 
but,  as  one  has  said,  *'  the  golden  opportunity  of 
Christendom."  And  when  will  such  an  opportunity 
return  ? 

What  Is  Our  Answer?  In  Japan  during  the 
eighties  the  Christian  Church  failed  to  press  its  ad- 
vantage, and  no  succeeding  years  have  sufficed  to 
overcome  the  strong  current  of  materialism  which  has 
swept  through  all  the  life  of  Japan.  Shall  we  again 
fail  God  in  this  greater  crisis  ?  We  must  act  or  there 
will  be  an  inevitable  reaction.  Is  China  to  turn,  as 
we  saw  in  the  first  chapter,  toward  Christianity,  or 
toward  a  hopeless  revival  of  the  old  national  religions, 
or  to  a  bitter  experience  of  materialism,  agnosticism, 
and  immorality?  If  ever  a  nation  needed  help  it  is 
China  to-day.  If  ever  a  nation  was  capable  of  re- 
sponding to  the  best  it  is  China.  If  ever  a  call  came 
to  Christendom  it  is  here  and  now.  What  shall  be 
our  answer  to  China's  need?  What  shall  my  answer 
be? 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  INDIA 


VI 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  INDIA 

India's  Present  Outlook.  A  survey  of  present 
conditions  in  India  emphasizes  the  fact  that  like  all 
the  rest  of  Asia  it  is  undergoing  a  fundamental  re- 
construction, and  that  the  lines  along  which  it  hardens 
will  determine  its  future.  Conditioned  on  the  one 
hand  by  the  iron-bound  social  system  of  caste,  and  on 
the  other  by  the  almost  absolute  sway  of  religious 
tradition,  India  is  in  many  respects  the  most  con- 
servative of  all  the  countries  of  the  world.  Yet  in 
spite  of  this  fact  her  present  development  is  relatively 
rapid.  Within  a  decade  India  may  be  more  open 
to  the  influences  of  the  new  era  than  the  Far 
East  is  to-day.  In  many  respects  India  is  entering 
upon  her  most  plastic  period,  and  if  we  are  to  be  ready 
to  help  her  we  must  enter  the  field  in  full  force  at 
once. 

Political  Unity  Due  to  the  Occident.  Politically, 
the  government  of  India  was  without  unity,  stability, 
or  security  before  the  advent  of  the  English.  Though 
partially  conquered  by  the  Mogul  emperors,  never 
before  1858  was  all  India  united  under  one  govern- 
ment. Divided  in  race  and  religion,  and  speaking 
147  different  languages,  the  peoples  of  India  lacked 
all  sense  of  nationality  and  of  unity.     The  country 

139 


140  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

was  devastated  by  endless  wars;  almost  every  town 
was  fortified,  and  every  farmer  hid  his  grain  from 
the  marauding  bands  which  might  sweep  down  upon 
him. 

Former  Educational  Lack.  Although  her  phi- 
losophers and  sages  had  worked  out  noble  systems  of 
thought  and  religion,  education  under  the  old  regime 
was  confined  to  a  small  aristocracy  of  the  Brahman 
priesthood  and  of  the  upper  castes.  Not  one  man  in 
a  hundred  could  read  and  the  women  were  utterly 
illiterate.  India's  golden  age,  like  the  rest  of  the 
East,  lay  in  the  past,  and  it  lacked  the  dynamic  prin- 
ciple of  progress. 

Extreme  Poverty.  Economically,  India  was  poor. 
Like  China,  she  had  early  attained  a  relatively  high 
degree  of  civilization,  and  was  at  one  time  one  of 
the  chief  manufacturing  countries  in  the  world.  Even 
as  late  as  the  eighteenth  century  she  was  on  a  par 
with  Europe  in  industrial  matters,  but  she  was  unable 
to  compete  with  modern  nations  and  lost  many  of  her 
early  arts  and  industries,  until  she  finally  sank  to  the 
position  of  one  of  the  poorest  countries  in  the  world. ^ 

^  According  to  Mr.  P.  Banerjea  in  his  Study  of  Indian 
Economics,  the  wealth  per  capita  has  been  variously  com- 
puted from  $50  to  $125,  while  that  of  the  United  King- 
dom is  $1,510;  of  France,  $1,260;  of  the  United  States, 
$1,080;  and  of  Germany,  $780.  The  average  farm  production 
per  head  is  only  $13  a  year  in  India.  The  average  income  in 
India  is  about  $10  per  capita.  The  average  income  in  the 
United  Kingdom  is  eighteen  times  as  great  as  that  of  India. 
Forty  millions  have  to  lie  down  hungry  every  night  upon  a 
mud  floor  who  have  had  only  one  meal,  or  at  most  two  scanty 
meals  during  the  day.  Even  during  the  last  fifty  years, 
twenty-two  famines  have  swept  away  twenty-eight  millions  of 
people. 


The  New  Era  in  India  141 

Causes  of  Poverty.  The  causes  of  this  poverty 
are  not  far  to  seek.  The  almost  exclusive  dependence 
of  the  population  upon  agriculture  when  the  monsoon 
so  frequently  fails,  an  overcrowding  of  population, 
primitive  methods  of  agriculture,  the  hoarding  of 
wealth  which  is  congested  in  the  hands  of  the  few 
and  not  released  in  trade,  the  absence  of  manufac- 
tures, the  prevalence  of  debt,  the  inordinate  use  of 
jewels,  have  all  impoverished  the  country.  Added  to 
all  this  was  the  oppressive  rule  under  the  old  auto- 
cratic or  paternal  forms  of  government.  In  one 
native  state  the  writer  found  recently  that  its  ruler 
had  six  hundred  wives,  and  had  left  his  territory  un- 
developed, without  roads,  without  schools,  or  ade- 
quate security  in  trade.  Naturally  the  population  was 
crossing  over  the  border  into  British  territory,  and 
rich  land  can  now  be  bought  in  that  native  state  at 
thirty  cents  an  acre.  This  was  typical  of  other  parts 
of  India  during  much  of  the  old  era  before  the  en- 
trance of  the  British. 

Social  Blight  of  Caste.  Socially,  the  life  of  India 
was  conditioned  by  the  tyrannous  caste  system.  Aris- 
ing originally  from  the  necessity  of  preserving  race 
purity  and  the  early  trade-gilds,  it  gradually  hardened 
into  the  most  binding  and  blighting  of  all  the  social 
institutions  ever  devised  by  man.  It  has  bound  the 
individual,  crushed  initiative,  stifled  aspiration,  pre- 
vented progress.  It  has  produced  early  marriage,  it 
has  wronged  womanhood,  enfeebled  childhood,  fixed 
arbitrarily  the  conditions  of  capital  and  labor,  petrified 
economic  conditions,  and  enslaved  the  individual  to 


142  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

society.  While  caste  Has  preserved  much  that  was 
good,  it  has  hardened  and  petrified  many  evil  customs 
and  has  been  and  continues  to  be  the  one  great  barrier 
to  India's  progress. 

Hinduism  Religiously  Misguiding.  Religiously, 
the  old  era  was  conditioned  by  Hinduism.  The  most 
amorphous  and  undefinable  of  all  religions,  Hinduism 
might  be  described  as  a  tangled  jungle  of  the  beliefs 
and  practises  of  the  peoples  of  India,  springing  from 
the  soil  of  philosophic  pantheism  and  of  popular 
polytheism,  enclosed  by  the  thorny  hedge  of  caste,  and 
perpetuating  its  perennial  growth  by  the  laws  of 
karma  and  transmigration.  Tested  by  its  views 
of  God,  man,  and  life, — the  three  principles  referred 
to  in  our  opening  chapter,  which  lie  at  the  basis  of 
Western  civilization, — we  find  that  it  is  lacking  as  an 
adequate  source  of  life  and  progress.  In  the  Hindu 
triad,  or  sacred  trinity  of  gods,  not  one  has  an  un- 
tarnished moral  record.  There  is  not  one  of  the  three 
deities  who  has  not  broken  the  seventh  command- 
ment. The  stories  of  the  sensuality  and  impurity  of 
the  gods  as  recorded  in  the  sacred  books  and  told  by 
its  votaries  have  polluted  the  imagination  of  the  child- 
hood of  India.  As  Professor  Hopkins  of  Yale  says: 
''  The  Hindu  moral  code  is  savage  and  antique.  Few 
of  the  older  gods  are  virtuous." 

Caste  an  Immense  Moral  Barrier.  As  opposed  to 
the  doctrine  of  the  brotherhood  of  man,  the  caste 
system  stands  as  the  deepest  denial  of  brotherhood 
and  perhaps  the  strongest  barrier  to  human  progress 
which  has  ever  been  devised.     Life  instead  of  being 


The  New  Era  in  India  143 

real,  progressive,  free,  and  eternal,  is  overshadowed 
as  by  a  dark  cloud  in  the  law  of  karma  and  the  weary 
cycle  of  rebirth  by  transmigration.  It  lacks  just  the 
abounding  good  news  which  Christ  can  give  to  all 
men. 

India's  Old  Era  Hopelessly  Defective.  As  we 
survey  the  India  of  the  old  era  politically,  intellectually, 
economically,  socially,  and  religiously,  it  is  unmis- 
takably evident  that  she  needs  something  radical  and 
transforming,  and  that  nothing  less  than  the  great 
dynamic  principles  which  produced  the  best  in  our 
Western  civilization  are  adequate  finally  to  transform 
and  uplift  India. 

New^  Life  under  British  Rule.  The  benefits  of 
British  rule  are  evident  to  any  impartial  observer. 
One  unmistakable  evidence  of  Great  Britain's  good 
government  is  that  the  peoples  of  India  are  being 
drawn  together  into  a  deeper  unity  by  a  stronger 
sense  of  nationality.  Peace  and  security  have  been 
guaranteed  to  all.  The  population  of  India  has  in- 
creased by  over  a  hundred  millions  under  British  rule 
since  1858.  An  efficient  government  has  been  built 
up,  and  an  increasingly  large  measure  of  self-govern- 
ment granted  to  the  people. 

Present  Discontent.  That  there  is  unrest  in 
India  cannot  be  denied,  but  it  is  natural  and  in- 
evitable. It  is  a  divine  discontent,  awakened  by  the 
conditions  left  by  the  old  era  when  challenged  by  the 
conscience  and  ideals  created  by  the  new.  It  is  caused 
by  the  conflict  of  the  old  civilization  with  the  new\ 
As  Sir  Valentine  Chirol  says :  "  Swadeshi  and  Swaraj 


144  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

are  the  battle-cries  of  this  new  Hindu  '  nationalism/ 
but  they  mean  far  more  than  a  mere  claim  to  fiscal  or 
even  political  independence.  They  mean  an  organized 
uplifting  of  the  old  Hindu  traditions,  social  and  re- 
ligious, intellectual  and  moral,  against  the  imported 
ideals  of  an  alien  race  and  an  alien  civilization." 
The  unrest  bears  witness  alike  to  the  nobility  of  In- 
dian aspiration  and  of  British  rule. 

Possible  Nationality.  There  are  those  who  believe 
and  who  tell  us  repeatedly  that  India  can  never  be  a 
nation,  can  never  be  united,  can  never  form  a  self- 
governing  member  of  the  British  Empire  like  Canada 
or  Australia.  It  is  true  that  there  are  almost  in- 
superable obstacles  in  the  divisions  of  races,  languages, 
and  religions.  But  British  rule,  the  English  language, 
Western  education,  and  Christian  ideals  working  to- 
gether are  drawing  the  peoples  of  India  increasingly 
toward  political  unity.  It  seemed  an  impossible  dream 
that  the  divided  peoples  of  Germany  or  of  Italy  could 
ever  be  united,  but  the  seemingly  impossible  has  come 
to  pass.  It  is  true  that  India  is  not  a  compact  nation 
like  Japan,  nor  has  she  a  common  race  and  written 
language  like  China,  but  she  has  a  growing  sense  of 
nationality.  The  enlarged  councils  of  Lord  Morley, 
which  constitute  the  beginnings  of  little  parliaments, 
the  firm  yet  friendly  measures  of  government  under 
the  present  Viceroy,  the  wider  diffusion  of  educa- 
tion, the  gradual  leavening  of  the  masses,  the  grow- 
ing aspirations  of  the  people,  all  point  toward  the 
goal  of  India  taking  her  place  at  some  distant  day 
as  a  great  and  self-governing  member  of  the  British 


The  New  Era  in  India  145 

Empire,  the  Kohinoor  amid  the  splendid  but  lesser 
jewels  of  its  crown. 

Intellectual  and  Educational  Progress.  Intellec- 
tually as  well  as  politically,  the  new  era  is  unmistak- 
able in  India.  With  all  its  faults,  the  English  system 
of  education  in  India  introduced  by  Duff  and  Macaulay 
has  diffused  widely  the  leaven  of  the  new  era.  With 
more  than  thirty  thousand  students  in  its  arts  and  pro- 
fessional colleges,  the  number  of  students  in  the  uni- 
versities is  nearly  equal  to  that  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
and  about  three  times  as  great  as  that  in  Japan. 
The  proclamation  of  the  King-Emperor  at  Delhi  an- 
nounced a  more  liberal  grant  for  education,  which 
will  increase  the  number  of  primary  schools  by 
seventy-five  per  cent,  and  double  the  school-going  pop- 
ulation. That  only  one  woman  in  144  can  read  in 
India  is  not  surprising  when  we  remember  the  con- 
servatism of  the  people  and  their  unwillingness  to  send 
their  daughters  to  school.  But  a  comparison  of  the 
Quinquennial  Review  of  Indian  Education  of  recent 
years  shows  a  rapid  and  gratifying  increase  in  female 
education.^  The  system  of  education  introduced  by 
Great  Britain  in  placing  an  over-emphasis  upon  higher 
education,  often  of  an  impracticable  character,  and  in 
not  laying  sufficient  stress  upon  primary  and  in- 
dustrial training,  as  did  Japan,  has  created  more  dis- 
content in  the  number  of  educated  men  who  cannot 
find  suitable  employment  than  would  otherwise  have 


^  During  the  fifteen  years  ending  with  1902  the  number 
of  girls  in  schools  increased  by  151,600.  During  the  succeed- 
ing five  years,  1902- 1907,  they  increased  by  186,480. 


146  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

been  the  case.  But  nevertheless  the  ideas  and  ideals 
of  a  new  and  higher  civilization  are  steadily  permeat- 
ing from  the  educated  classes  to  the  masses,  and  from 
the  cities  to  the  remotest  villages.  Intellectually,  In- 
dia is  awakening. 

Economic  Advance.  The  economic  development 
of  India  is  equally  unmistakable.  It  is  true  that  In- 
dia lost  the  place  which  she  once  held  in  the  ancient 
world  as  one  of  the  chief  manufacturing  countries. 
Her  methods  of  agriculture  are  antiquated,  and  the 
two  thirds  of  her  total  population  dependent  upon  it 
are  left  in  partial  famine  with  the  failure  of  the  mon- 
soon. Yet  in  spite  of  all  these  many  handicaps,  India 
is  making  slow  but  steady  progress  in  the  industrial 
world.  Her  trade  has  increased  during  the  last  half 
century  from  $300,000,000  to  over  $1,500,000,000. 
The  value  of  her  land  has  increased  under  British 
rule  by  $1,500,000,000.  There  are  32,000  miles  of 
railway  in  operation,  which  places  India  fourth  in  the 
world  in  its  railway  mileage,  carrying  330,000,000 
passengers  annually  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  for  one 
cent.^  There  are  76,000  miles  of  telegraph  line,  over 
which  messages  can  be  sent  for  over  2,000  miles  at 
a  cost  of  only  twelve  cents.  Her  post-offices  handle 
annually  over  900,000,000  letters  and  newspapers 
and  other  matter. 

Exports  and  Commerce.  She  is  now  the  largest 
exporter  of  rice  in  the  world.  She  holds  first  place 
in  her  exports  of  tea,  and  together  with  Ceylon  ex- 

*  Her  railways  are  almost  the  safest  in  the  world.  Only 
some  seven  men  were  killed  in  accidents  last  year. 


The  New  Era  in  India  147 

ports  more  than  half  the  tea  crop  of  the  world.  Next 
to  Argentine  she  is  the  largest  exporter  of  hides,  and 
next  to  the  United  States  the  largest  exporter  of  cot- 
ton in  the  world.  Next  to  the  United  States  she  is 
the  largest  wheat-producing  country  in  the  world, 
while  Bengal  holds  the  virtual  monopoly  of  the  jute 
trade.  Her  increase  in  the  production  of  iron  and 
steel  is  most  encouraging.  The  Tata  Iron  Works  in 
Bengal,  employing  8,000  men,  have  laid  down  iron 
in  San  Francisco  at  less  than  the  price  charged  by  the 
United  States  Steel  Corporation.  India's  export  of 
steel,  which  was  an  almost  negligible  quantity  of 
$200,000  in  19 10,  doubled  the  next  year,  and  multi- 
plied four-fold  the  year  following,  so  that  in  1912- 
1913  it  was  $1,700,000.  During  the  last  ten  years  be- 
tween 1900  and  1909  India's  trading  companies  in- 
creased from  252  to  608,  her  coal-mining  companies 
from  34  to  122,  her  cotton  mills  from  152  to  218,  and 
the  total  number  of  her  stock  companies  from  1,340 
to  2,156.^  The  trade  of  India  now  holds  the  first  place 
in  all  Asia,  with  $788,000,000  exports  and  $746,000,- 
000  imports. 

Irrigation  and  Improved  Agricultural  Methods. 
Her  system  of  irrigation  stands  easily  first  in  the 
world,  being  far  more  extensive  than  that  of  Egypt 
or  America.  Her  more  than  46,000  miles  of  irriga- 
tion canals  have  reclaimed  more  than  22,000,000 
acres  of  land,  and  famine  has  been  prevented  forever 

*  From  Statistical  Abstract  for  British  India,  1908-09, 
Study  of  Indian  Economics,  by  P.  Banerjea. 


148  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

in  some  districts.  But  encouraging  as  these  facts  are, 
they  do  not  indicate  a  final  solution  of  India's  eco- 
nomic problem.  The  dependence  of  two  thirds  of  the 
population  upon  agriculture,  and  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts of  nearly  90  per  cent,  who  are  connected  di- 
rectly or  indirectly  with  it,  makes  it  imperative  that 
the  scientific  methods,  which  obtain  in  Japan  and  in 
the  West,  should  be  more  widely  introduced  in  India 
also.  Even  China,  without  Western  improved 
methods,  through  her  system  of  fertilization  described 
in  King's  Farmers  of  Forty  Centuries,  is  far  more 
productive. 

Need  of  Protection  of  Industries.  But  more  than 
improved  methods  of  agriculture,  India  needs  the  de- 
velopment of  her  industries.  With  a  large  supply  of 
cheap  labor,  many  useful  branches  of  industry  could 
be  introduced.  Already  we  see  "  Swadeshi "  cotton 
fabrics,  iron  goods,  matches,  soap,  and  other  home- 
made articles  being  placed  upon  the  Indian  market. 
But  compared  to  India's  vast  population  and  economic 
need  her  manufactures  are  pathetically  inadequate. 
As  Sir  Bampfylde  Fuller  and  many  other  open-minded 
English  writers  have  said,  India  needs  a  protective 
tariff  to  develop  her  manufactures.  As  Benjamin 
Kidd  points  out  in  his  Control  of  the  Tropics,  Eng- 
land will  soon  have  to  choose  in  this  matter  between 
her  own  self-interest  and  the  higher  interests  of  the 
Indian  people.  The  enlarged  councils  of  Lord  Mor- 
ley's  plan  of  government  will  in  time  doubtless  at  their 
own  initiative  introduce  demands  for  such  a  protective 
tariff. 


The  New  Era  in  India  149 

Social  Gains.  The  social  development  of  India 
also  unmistakably  indicates  a  new  era.  The  humane 
laws  of  the  British  government  have  abolished  suttee 
and  other  wrongs  of  Indian  womanhood.  They  have 
raised  the  age  of  marriage,  they  have  protected  the 
weak,  and  have  improved  social  conditions.  The  2,700 
hospitals  and  dispensaries  of  the  British  government 
are  now  treating  some  28,ooo,ocmd  patients  each  year. 
The  ravages  of  plague,  cholera,  fever,  and  smallpox 
have  been  reduced.  The  death-rate  in  India,  however, 
from  1900  to  1908  averaged  thirty-four  per  thousand, 
while  the  death-rate  in  England  is  about  fifteen  per 
thousand,  so  that  nearly  6,000,000  lives  are  lost  an- 
nually in  India  that  could  be  saved  if  the  English 
death-rate  prevailed.  But  the  death-rate  is  constantly 
decreasing. 

Native  Efforts  toward  Reform.  Of  far  greater 
significance  and  encouragement  than  the  social  re- 
forms introduced  by  the  British  government  are  the 
changes  which  are  taking  place  under  native  leader- 
ship in  the  Indian  social  structure  itself.  As  Mr.  A. 
Yusuf  Ali,  in  his  Life  and  Labor  in  India,  points  out: 
"  Within  the  last  few  years  there  has  been  a  com- 
plete remodeling  of  many  of  the  old  village  customs 
and  institutions,  which  have  got  stereotyped  in  the 
imagination  of  persons  who  have  made  the  '  unchang- 
ing East'  their  fetich."  During  a  tour  in  India  last 
year  nothing  was  more  marked  than  the  striking  de- 
velopment of  a  social  conscience  and  the  rapid  growth 
in  social  service  among  the  educated  classes  in  the 
non-Christian  as  well  as  the  Christian  communities. 


150  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

'Growing  numbers  of  students  are  now  devoting  them- 
.selves  to  education  and  sanitation,  to  famine  relief, 
to  the  uplift  of  the  depressed  classes  of  "  untouch- 
ables," and  many  other  forms  of  social  service.  The 
interest  shown  in  the  lectures  of  Professor  Hender- 
son of  Chicago  University,  and  the  demand  for  social 
literature  dealing  with  education,  citizenship,  housing, 
and  sanitation,  the  relief  of  poverty,  the  depressed 
classes,  temperance,  and  other  forms  of  social  ser- 
vice is  a  sign  of  the  times.  Mr.  Gokhale's  Servants  of 
Indian  Society  is  typical  of  the  new  social  movement. 
Here  the  ablest  Indian  graduates  are  preparing  them- 
selves by  five  years  of  post-graduate  study  and  prac- 
tical service  for  a  life-work  of  public  usefulness  un- 
der Mr.  Gokhale's  direction.  The  Seva  Sadan  and 
numbers  of  other  societies  are  also  doing  useful  work. 
The  recent  two  anna  fund  for  famine  relief  in  West- 
ern India,  where  90,000  persons  contributed  $25,000, 
chiefly  in  amounts  of  four  cents  each,  shows  the  de- 
velopment of  the  new  social  conscience.  The  con- 
nection between  this  social  service  and  Christianity 
is  not  always  recognized  by  the  non-Christians,  but  it 
is  none  the  less  Christian.  The  growing  sentiment 
against  early  marriage,  and  against  the  prohibition  of 
Hindu  widow  remarriage,  the  founding  of  orphan- 
ages, schools,  and  benevolent  institutions,  the  en- 
couragement of  female  education,  work  for  the  out- 
castes,  and  a  hundred  other  reforms  have  sprung  di- 
rectly or  indirectly  from  Christian  teaching  or  ex- 
ample. In  most  cases  the  movement  for  social  re- 
form has  been  led  by  men  like  its  founders.  Rajah 


The  New  Era  in  India  151 

Rammohan  Roy  and  Justice  Ranade,  who  were  pow- 
erfully influenced  by  Christian  teaching,  and  many 
of  the  leaders  to-day  are  non-Christian  graduates  of 
mission  colleges. 

Relative  Advance  of  Christianity.  The  religious 
changes  evident  under  the  new  era  are  even  more 
marked  than  the  political,  intellectual,  economic,  and 
social  developments.  Owing  to  the  incalculable  bless- 
ing of  religious  toleration  granted  under  the  Pax 
Britannica,  all  the  world's  greatest  faiths,  save  Con- 
fucianism, are  here  brought  into  open  and  friendly 
competition.  As  we  survey  the  Christian  and  non- 
Christian  communities  in  India,  we  find  three  marked 
evidences  of  the  new  era.  First  of  all  there  has  been 
a  large  ingathering  into  the  Christian  community.  The 
census  of  India,  which  is  the  most  unique  and  re- 
markable in  the  world,  is  taken  in  a  single  night  be- 
tween sunset  and  sunrise.  According  to  the  census  of 
191 1,  which  shows  the  relative  growth  of  the  various 
religions  during  the  last  decade,  while  the  Buddhists 
increased  11  per  cent.,  the  Mohammedans  and  Par- 
sees  each  6  per  cent,  the  Hindus  4  per  cent.,  the 
Jains  decreased  9  per  cent.,  the  Christian  community 
increased  over  32  per  cent.  But  as  caste  gives 
way  there  will  be  a  rapid  gain  also  in  the  rate 
of  increase.  The  growth  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity during  the  last  four  decades  is  striking.  It 
is  as  follows: 

1881 1,862,634 

1891 2,284,380 

1901  2,923,241 

1911  3,876,203 


152  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Thus  in  the  last  thirty  years  the  Christian  community 
has  doubled;  in  the  last  ten  years  alone  it  has  in- 
creased by  almost  a  million  adherents.  If,  however, 
we  confine  ourselves  to  the  Protestant  Indian  com- 
munity, we  find  that  it  is  increasing  at  the  rate  of 
about  50  per  cent,  a  decade.  During  the  last  ten 
years  it  has  increased  seven  times  as  fast  as  the  popu- 
lation, and  twelve  times  as  fast  as  the  Hindu  com- 
munity. There  has  been  a  gain  by  conversion  of 
over  600,000  in  a  decade.  More  than  5,000  every 
month,  or  more  than  1,200  every  week  have  been 
received  in  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church  during 
the  last  ten  years.  Thus  India  is  becoming  slowly 
but  surely  Christian. 

Mass  Movements.  The  second  evidence  of  a  new 
era  is  found  in  the  great  mass  movement  which  has 
set  in  toward  Christianity.  More  than  50,000,000 
*'  untouchables  "  lay  without  the  pale  and  beyond  the 
help  of  Hinduism.  These  classes  are  now  being  re- 
ceived into  the  Christian  Church,  educated,  civilized, 
and  uplifted.  These  mass  movements  have  taken  place 
in  five  great  areas  in  India:  in  Tinnevelli,  and  in 
Travancore,  South  India;  in  the  Telugu  country, 
north  of  Madras;  in  Chota  Nagpur,  in  the  United 
Provinces;  and  now  in  the  Punjab.  In  each  of  these 
an  average  of  about  one  hundred  thousand  have  been 
added  to  the  Christian  community,  and  the  numbers 
are  rapidly  increasing.^     For  instance,  in  the  United 

*  Mr.  Charles  Trevelyan  makes  this  prophecy  as  to  the  con- 
version of  India:  "I  believe  it  will  take  place  at  last  whole- 
sale, just  as  our  ancestors  were  converted.    The  country  will 


WILLIAM  CAREY 

First  modern  missionary  to   India 


The  New  Era  in  India  153 

Provinces — where  the  American  Methodists  ^nd  Pres- 
byterians are  working — the  movement  began  among 
the  Sweepers,  but  soon  extended  to  the  great  Chamar 
caste.  The  Northwest  India  Conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church  alone  has  gathered  over  100,000  converts 
from  these  castes  in  the  last  twenty  years.  Thus 
caste,  which  was  so  long  the  greatest  hindrance,  is  now 
becoming  the  greatest  help  to  the  work.  The  Chamar 
caste  alone  numbers  over  eleven  millions  and  may  be 
reached  by  Christian  forces  if  the  missions  are  sus- 
tained and  reenforced  at  once.  The  Hindus  and  the 
Arya  Samaj  are  beginning  to  work  to  receive  these 
people.  The  Mohammedans  alone  are  said  to  be 
gaining  some  50,000  every  year  from  these  low  castes. 
It  is  inconceivable  that  the  Church  at  home  should 
be  so  blind  that  it  should  not  press  its  advantage  in 
this  great  providential  movement  which  is  at  our  very 
doors  abroad.  The  numbers  gained  in  the  mass  move- 
ment alone  are  greater  than  in  any  other  mission  field, 
and  are  entitled  to  place  India  among  the  most  hope- 
ful and  urgent  mission  fields  of  the  world.  Doubtless 
there  are  evident  shortcomings  in  these  mass  move- 
ments, if  you  focus  upon  the  individual,  but  viewed 
broadly  there  is  an  unmistakable  uplift  of  the  entire 
community  from  their  former  condition,  often  from 
filth,  ignorance,  and  superstition,  carrion-eating  and 
devil-worship.     Numbers  of  these  outcaste  converts 


have  Christian  instruction  infused  into  it  in  every  way.  .  .  . 
Then  at  last,  when  society  is  completely  saturated  with  Chris- 
tian knowledge,  and  public  opinion  has  taken  a  decided  turn 
that  way,  they  will  come  over  by  thousands." 


154  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

are  to-day  university  graduates  working  in  the  higher 
professions. 

Reflex  Compromise  Efforts.  The  third  evidence 
of  the  new  era  in  reHgion  is  shown  in  the  effects  of 
its  contact  with  the  non-Christian  communities. 
There  is  on  the  one  hand  a  large  infusion  of  Christian 
ideas  into  the  non-Christian  rehgions,  especially  in 
Hinduism.  There  is  the  resultant  founding  of  various 
eclectic  systems  which  are  a  combination  of  Christian 
truth  and  Hindu  tradition,  and  which  represent  an 
attempt  at  compromise  between  them.  There  is  also, 
in  opposition  to  both  the  foregoing  movements,  a  pas- 
sionate effort  to  revive  Hinduism,  to  expurgate  and 
reconstruct  it,  and  adapt  it  to  modern  conditions.  All 
of  these  movements  are  in  one  aspect  encouraging. 
The  conception  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  of  the 
brotherhood  of  man  in  opposition  to  caste  restrictions, 
and  of  the  reality  and  eternal  value  of  life,  are  found 
to-day  on  every  hand  in  the  literature,  the  addresses, 
the  conversation,  and  the  ideas  of  the  educated  classes. 
The  Brahmo  Samaj,  founded  in  1830  by  Rajah  Ram- 
mohan  Roy,  endeavored  to  found  a  Christian  mono- 
theism on  the  Vedas,  and  to  oppose  polytheism,  idola- 
try, and  caste.  It  has  never  moved  the  masses,  how- 
ever, and  after  more  than  seventy  years  numbers  only 
about  five  thousand  members.  The  Arya  Samaj, 
founded  in  1875  by  Swami  Dayanand,  seeks  to  rid  it- 
self of  the  abuses  of  Hinduism,  to  avoid  idolatry  and 
caste,  and  to  find  all  truth,  even  of  modern  science 
and  invention,  within  the  Vedas.  Powerful,  often 
anti-Christian  and  anti-British,  it  is  gaining  rapidly 


The  New  Era  in  India  155 

because  of  its  fervid  nationalism.  The  Aligarh  Col- 
lege and  the  Aligarh  Movement,  founded  by  Sir  Syed 
Ahmad  Khan,  seeks  by  wider  education  and  liberal 
ideas  to  broaden  the  outlook  of  the  Mohammedan 
community,  with  its  66,000,000,  and  to  adapt  it  to 
modern  conditions  of  life.  The  New  Vedantism, 
founded  by  Swami  Vivekananda,  is  a  clever  compro- 
mise between  pantheistic  Vedantic  philosophy  and 
Christian  and  Western  ideas  which  the  founder  gained 
in  his  own  eclectic  education.  It  seeks  to  blend  Chris- 
tian philanthropy  and  Vedantic  philosophy.  The 
Theosophical  Society,  under  Mrs.  Besant,  has  exer- 
cised considerable  influence  in  the  south  and  in  the 
Hindu  college  at  Benares,  but  with  its  defense  of 
superstitious  practises,  even  to  idolatry  and  caste,  it 
has  not  often  proved  so  much  an  instrument  for 
reformation  as  for  retrogression. 

Half-way  Movements.  All  these  movements, 
however,  indicate  the  reaction  of  Christian  thought 
upon  the  non-Christian  communities.  They  are  a 
half-way  house  between  the  old  traditions  and  super- 
stitions and  the  full  acceptance  of  the  Christian  faith. 
With  all  their  defects  they  are  signs  of  encourage- 
ment, and,  like  the  Gnostic  and  other  movements  in 
the  early  Christian  centuries,  they  mark  at  least  a 
great  advance  over  the  stagnation  and  superstition  of 
the  old  era. 

I.  Growth  in  Strength  and  Unity.  If  we  survey 
the  Christian  community  itself,  we  find  three  other 
signs  of  encouragment  that  mark  the  new  era.  First 
of  all  is  the  growing  strength  and  unity  of  the  Chris- 


156  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

tian  Church  and  the  Christian  educational  movement 
There  are  to-day  in  India  5,401  missionaries,  4,088 
Protestant  churches,  with  568,080  communicants,  and  a 
Protestant  Christian  community  of  1,617,617.  The  to- 
tal number  of  Indian  Christians  connected  with  the 
American  missions  is  817,150,  while  those  connected 
with  the  missions  of  Great  Britain  number  568,865. 
Great  Britain  leads,  however,  in  the  matter  of  educa- 
tion with  25  colleges  and  7,039  schools,  enrolling  333,- 
560  pupils;  while  connected  with  the  American  mis- 
sions are  13  colleges,  and  5,931  schools  with  177,177 
scholars.  Connected  with  the  Protestant  Churches 
are  38  well-equipped  colleges,  in  which  more  than  five 
thousand  of  the  brightest  young  men  of  India  are 
studying,  and  more  than  half  a  million  pupils  are 
found  in  the  13,000  mission  schools;  while  1,433  or- 
dained men  and  38,458  Indian  workers  are  connected 
with  the  various  missions. 

Union  Movements.  The  Christians  of  India,  like 
those  of  China  and  Japan,  are  setting  an  example  in 
the  spirit  of  unity  which  they  are  manifesting.  It 
has  been  repeatedly  stated  by  native  Christians  of 
Japan,  China,  and  India,  that  they  would  come  to- 
gether were  it  not  for  the  divisions  of  Western  Chris- 
tianity, perpetuated  by  the  representatives  of  the 
Western  Churches.  Already  in  South  India  all  the 
Christians  connected  with  the  Presbyterian,  Congre- 
gational, Dutch  Reformed,  Free  Church  of  Scotland, 
and  Established  Church  of  Scotland  missions  have 
come  together  into  organic  unity  in  The  United 
Church  of  South  India,  with  over  150,000  members- 


The  New  Era  in  India  157 

"having  a  common  creed  and  a  common  ecclesiastical 
government.  In  numbers  of  instances  throughout  the 
v^hole  of  Asia,  colleges  and  churches  are  coming  to- 
gether into  a  closer  unity  than  has  yet  been  realized 
on  the  home  field.  Will  not  this  have  a  beneficial 
reaction  upon  the  divisions  of  Christendom  in  the 
West? 

2.  Growth  in  Autonomy.  A  second  sign  of  en- 
couragement is  found  in  the  growth  of  a  self-governing, 
self-supporting,  and  self-propagating  Indian  Church. 
The  consecration  of  the  Rev.  V.  S.  Azariah  at  Cal- 
cutta at  the  close  of  1912  as  the  first  Indian  Anglican 
Bishop  marked  a  new  departure  in  the  self-govern- 
ment of  the  Indian  Church.  The  formation  of  the 
National  Missionary  Society  of  India  is  a  sign  of 
the  growth  of  an  indigenous  missionary  spirit.  This 
society  is  now  successfully  carrying  on  missions  in 
five  different  provinces,  in  one  of  which  it  has  en- 
rolled over  a  thousand  converts.  It  is  conducting 
missionary  periodicals  in  six  different  languages, 
and  is  led  by  able  Indian  graduates.  Its  hold  upon 
the  affection  and  loyalty  of  many  of  the  Indian 
churches  is  very  encouraging. 

3.  Growing  Hold  on  Upper  Classes.  A  third 
sign  of  encouragement  is  found  in  the  growing  hold 
of  the  Christian  community  upon  the  upper  classes, 
and  the  appeal  which  the  gospel  is  making  to  the  edu- 
cated leaders  of  India.  During  the  recent  tour  of  Dr. 
Mott  and  others  in  the  evangelistic  campaign  of  1912- 
13,  the  hearing  which  was  given  to  the  gospel  by  the 
students  of  India  was  certainly  an  evidence  of  a  new 


158  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

attitude  toward  Christianity.  More  than  a  thousand 
students  a  night  in  eight  cities  of  India,  Burma,  and 
Ceylon  crowded  the  largest  theaters  and  halls  which 
could  be  obtained  for  these  student  meetings.  It  is 
true  that  in  one  or  two  cities  there  was  some  opposi- 
tion, but  the  old  era  of  stagnation  and  superstition  and 
indifference  is  gone  forever.  The  writer  will  never 
forget  the  scenes  which  were  witnessed  in  these  cities. 
Upon  arrival  in  India  we  began  work  in  Madras. 
It  was  deeply  impressive  to  see  that  vast  audience 
of  two  thousand  non-Christian  students  crowded 
into  the  great  Parsee  Theater,  filling  every  seat,  in 
spite  of  the  rain,  listening  night  after  night  to  the 
straightest  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  English.  En- 
trenched as  they  are  in  Hinduism  by  centuries  of  caste, 
their  minds  darkened  by  the  mists  of  pantheism, 
polytheism,  and  idolatry,  they  formed  one  of  the  hard- 
est audiences  we  have  ever  faced  in  Asia.  Yet  on  the 
third  night  a  thousand  Hindu  students  stayed  for  the 
after-meeting,  and  many  signed  cards,  promising  to 
read  the  four  Gospels  with  open  mind  and  honest 
heart,  to  pray  daily  to  God  for  guidance,  and  to  follow 
Christ  according  to  their  conscience.  These  men, 
however,  were  at  best  only  seekers  after  truth. 

Response  in  the  Punjab.  At  Lahore  in  the  Pun- 
jab, in  spite  of  the  fact  that  examinations  were  on,  and 
that  the  meetings  came  at  the  worst  possible  time,  an 
audience  of  thirteen  hundred  non-Christian  students 
crowded  into  the  Bradlaugh  Hall,  where  the  sessions 
of  the  Indian  National  Congress  were  twice  held. 
The  white  turbans  and  the  black  beards  of  the  war- 


The  New  Era  in  India  159 

like  Sikhs,  the  red  fezzes  of  the  Mohammedan  stu- 
dents, and  the  eager  faces  of  the  members  of  the  Arya 
Samaj,  Brahmo  Samaj,  and  the  orthodox  Hindus 
made  the  scene  a  picturesque  one.  Ahhough  placed 
under  a  severe  strain  at  the  presentation  of  Christ 
as  Savior  and  Lord,  they  Hstened  patiently  with  open 
mind,  and  finally  many  gave  in  their  names  as  in- 
quirers. 

Interest  in  Calcutta.  When  we  arrived  in  Cal- 
cutta examinations  were  on,  and  some  of  the  colleges 
were  closing  for  vacation.  Yet  on  the  opening  night 
eighteen  hundred  students  crowded  the  Curzon  The- 
ater. If  the  students  of  the  Punjab  are  the  Scotch- 
men of  the  East,  the  brilliant  Bengalis  are  the  Irish, 
enthusiastic,  responsive,  swept  by  strong  currents  of 
emotion.  The  subjects  dealt  with  on  the  five  succeed- 
ing nights  were :  Personal  Purity ;  The  Results  of  Sin ; 
Moral  Heroism ;  Christ  the  Only  Savior ;  and.  Religion 
a  Matter  of  the  Will.  Although  the  Calcutta  students 
form,  perhaps,  the  most  restless  student  audience  in 
Asia,  they  listened  with  close  and  eager  attention,  even 
when  we  spoke  of  the  exclusive  claims  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Some  fifty  students  came  every  night  seeking  inter- 
views. 

Significant  Baptism  of  Converts.  When  the  first 
two  converts  were  baptized  the  following  week,  the 
ceremony  was  performed  by  the  new  Indian  Bishop 
in  the  presence  of  an  audience  of  Christian  students 
gathered  at  the  All  India  Student  Conference,  rep- 
resenting some  seventy  institutions.  A  hundred  and 
twelve  years  ago  William  Carey  baptized  his  first  con- 


i6o  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

vert  in  the  Hooghly  (or  mouth  of  the  Ganges)  on  the 
last  Sunday  of  the  year  1800.  At  that  very  spot, 
on  the  last  day  of  the  year  19 12,  Bishop  Azariah, 
after  a  meeting  held  in  the  house  and  chapel  which 
Carey  had  occupied,  led  down  to  the  river  two  M.  A. 
students  to  be  baptized.  Only  the  day  before  we  had 
sat  beside  the  river  preparing  these  converts  for  bap- 
tism. On  the  left  was  a  baptized  Brahm.an  student 
who  had  gone  through  great  persecution,  and  on  the 
right  was  another  young  Brahman  who  was  to  be 
baptized  the  next  day.  As  we  sat  in  Martyn's  pagoda, 
where  that  man  of  God  had  wept  and  prayed,  his 
despairing  remark  came  back  to  one's  memory  that 
he  "  would  as  soon  expect  to  see  a  man  rise  from 
the  dead  as  to  see  a  Brahman  converted."  It  was  a 
scene  never  to  be  forgotten  in  the  light  of  the  torches 
that  evening,  the  dark  robes  of  the  two  Hindu  students 
as  they  entered  the  river,  the  shining  white  apparel 
in  which  they  appeared  immediately  after  their  bap- 
tism, and  the  ringing  pean  of  victory  that  ascended 
from  the  Christian  students  gathered  there  from  every 
part  of  India,  as  they  sang  by  the  river-side: 

"  Onward,  Christian  soldiers, 
Marching  as  to  war." 

Old  Basis  Removed.  India  is  awakening,  but  are 
we  awake  and  ready  to  help  her?  Let  us  not  forget 
that  the  religion,  the  education,  and  the  civilization 
which  we  have  introduced  from  the  West  have  be- 
gotten the  present  unrest,  and  that  these  alone  can- 
not satisfy  it.    We  have  inevitably  destroyed  the  old- 


BISHOP  AZARIAH 
The  first  Anglican  Indian  bishop 


The  New  Era  in  India  i6i 

world  view  of  the  people  of  India,  with  its  impossible 
conceptions  of  nature  and  of  human  life.  We  have 
taken  from  them  the  treasure  that  they  had.  Do  we 
not  owe  them  the  pearl  of  great  price,  the  one  treas- 
ure that  we  prize  above  all  others,  to  take  its  place? 
Or  are  we  to  lead  them  to  agnosticism,  materialism, 
and  the  destructive  forces  of  a  purely  secular  educa- 
tion, and  leave  them  helpless  and  in  despair? 

Christ  the  New  Foundation.  Nothing  but  Christ 
can  satisfy  the  unsatisfied  heart  of  India.  Hinduism 
after  three  thousand  years  of  trial  has  failed  to  meet 
its  need.  Buddhism  died  here  in  the  land  of  its  birth. 
Mohammedanism  had  its  day  and  failed  to  civilize 
or  satisfy.  India  has  also  not  only  the  largest 
Mohammedan  population,  but  the  one  most  open 
to  Christian  influence  of  any  country  in  the  world. ^ 
One  thing  India  lacks,  one  thing  is  needful ;  one 
thing  we  possess  and  can  give  her  to  meet  her 
one  central  all-embracing  need.  If  we  are  ever  to 
meet  India's  need  it  must  be  now.  Within  a  decade 
probably  all  India  will  be  wide  open  for  large  in- 
gatherings. Caste  is  already  beginning  to  give  way. 
Millions  of  outcastes  are  at  the  door  of  the  Church. 
There  are  already  signs  of  the  beginning  of  a  mass 
movement  among  the  middle  classes.  The  students 
are  giving  an  unprecedented  hearing  to  the  gospel. 
Our  point  of  advantage  must  be  pressed  both  in  edu- 
cational work  among  the  upper  classes  and  in  the  mass 
movement  among  the  depressed  classes.     The  num- 

1  See   Islam  and  Missions,  Report    of  the  Lucknow  Con- 
ference ;  March,  191 1. 


1 62  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

bers  gained  in  the  mass  movement  alone  are  greater 
than  the  number  of  converts  being  gained  in  any  other 
land,  and  are  entitled  to  place  India  among  the  most 
hopeful  and  urgent  mission  fields  of  the  world.  Now 
is  the  time  to  help  India.  And  India's  one  need  is 
Christ. 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  THE  NEAR  EAST 


VII 

THE  NEW  ERA  IN  THE  NEAR  EAST 

A  New  Religious  Atmosphere.  As  we  turn  from 
India  to  the  Near  East  we  pass  from  the  mists  of 
pantheism  and  polytheism  which  have  constituted  the 
spiritual  atmosphere  of  Southern  Asia  to  the  dark 
cloud  of  Islam  which  has  overshadowed  the  Levant. 
In  both  cases  the  religion  of  the  country  has  molded 
almost  the  entire  life  of  the  people. 

Possible  Access  to  Islam.  In  the  past  Islam  has 
represented  the  greatest  force  of  vindictive  aggressive- 
ness and  of  stubborn  resistance  against  Christianity, 
civilization,  and  culture.  For  four  centuries,  how- 
ever, a  period  of  gradual  decay  and  decline,  culminat- 
ing in  the  defeat  of  the  recent  war,  has  prepared  the 
way  for  a  new  era  in  the  Near  East.  We  believe 
that  the  results  of  the  late  war  may  prove  the  open 
door,  not  only  to  Turkey,  but  to  the  Mohammedan 
world.  This  apparent  defeat  may  lead  to  their  greatest 
victory,  greater  even  in  its  final  influence  for  good  than 
any  triumph  Mohammed  won  at  the  point  of  the 
sword.  It  should  open  the  door  to  a  new  era  of 
closer  contact  with  Christian  civilization,  to  a  period 
of  reconstruction,  of  mutual  helpfulness,  and  of 
broader  humanity  throughout  the  Near  East.  As 
China's   defeats   at  the   hands   of  Japan  and   in   the 

165 


j66  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Boxer  uprising  opened  her  eyes  to  her  real  condition, 
and  led  the  way  to  thorough  reform  and  reconstruc- 
tion, the  ultimate  effects  of  the  late  war  will  probably 
l)e  either  thoroughly  to  reform  Turkey,  or  else  place 
her  finally  under  the  control  of  Christian  nations. 
And  if  it  opens  a  door  of  access  to  Islam  it  places 
before  the  Christian  Church  the  last  great  Gibraltar 
which  must  be  taken  before  a  Christian  civilization 
-can  dominate  Asia  and  the  world. 

The  Strategic  Center  of  Mohammedanism.  To 
appreciate  the  new  era  in  the  Near  East  let  us  look  for 
a  moment  at  the  environment  of  the  Mohammedan 
world,  of  the  Turkish  Empire  and  of  its  capital  city, 
Constantinople.  As  Japan  led  the  way  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  Far  East,  Turkey  constitutes  the  strategic 
center  of  the  Near  East.  According  to  the  best 
authorities  there  are  in  the  world  to-day  about 
200,000,000  Mohammedans.  Of  these,  about  three 
fourths  are  in  Asia  and  the  remaining  fourth  in 
Africa.^  Almost  exactly  one  third  are  found  in  In- 
dia, and  more  Moslems  bow  the  knee  at  the  call  to 
prayer  in  the  lands  ruled  by  King  George  than  in  those 
ruled  by  the  Sultan  himself.  Persia  will  for  some 
time  lag  behind  Turkey,  and  is  not  yet  prepared  to 
enter  fully  into  the  new  era.  We  may,  therefore,  con- 
centrate our  attention  in  this  chapter  chiefly  upon  the 

^  About  160,000,000  Mohammedans  are  in  Asia  and  about 
40,000,000  in  Africa.  India,  with  66,623,412,  is  the  largest 
single  Mohammedan  country.  China  contains  some  20,000,000 
Mohammedans ;  Persia,  about  8,800,000 ;  Asiatic  Turkey  some 
12,000,000;  and  independent  Arabia  about  3,000,000.  Europe 
5till  has  perhaps  2,000,000  Mohammedans. 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  167 

Turkish  Empire,  for  when  Turkey  is  moved  it  will 
move  the  Mohammedan  world. 

Change  in  Turkish  Empire.  The  old  Turkish 
Empire  embraced  a  population  of  24,000,000.^  But 
Turkey  has  now  lost  all  of  her  European  possessions, 
save  a  limited  territory  from  the  Black  Sea  to  the 
yEgean,  including  Constantinople,  the  Dardanelles  and 
Adrianople. 

Crucial  Constantinople.  Constantinople  was  long 
the  key  to  Europe,  and  the  strategic  center  between 
the  East  and  the  West.  Founded  on  the  ancient  city 
of  Byzantium,  which  dated  from  the  seventh  century 
B.C.,  the  city  was  built  by  Constantine  in  330  a.d.  and 
became  the  new  capital  of  the  Roman  Empire.  For 
nearly  a  thousand  years  it  was  the  center  of  the 
wealth  and  civilization  of  Europe.  Long  the  "  Queen 
City,"  its  jurists  gave  to  Europe  her  "  Roman  "  law, 
and  its  theologians,  artists,  scholars,  and  merchant 
princes  were  the  leaders  of  Europe.  It  shaped  the 
creeds  of  Christendom,  and  even  when  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Turks  in  1453  a.d.  its  libraries  and  manu- 
scripts helped  both  to  cause  and  to  spread  the  Re- 

^  According  to  Dr.  James  L.  Barton  in  his  Daybreak  in 
Turkey,  the  territory  and  population  under  the  direct  control 
of  Turkey  before  the  late  war  were  as  follows : 

Europe 65,350  square  miles    6,130,200  inhabitants 

Asia    693,610  "  16,898,700  " 

Africa    398,900    .        "  1,000,000  " 

1,157,860  24,028,900 

Under  her  indirect  control  were  464,220  square  miles,  with 
15,000,000  inhabitants,  found  chiefly  in  Bulgaria,  Bosnia,  Crete, 
Cyprus,  Samos,  and  Egypt. 


i68  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

naissance  of  Europe.  Here  Justinian,  on  the  site  of  an 
earHer  edifice  of  Constantine,  erected  in  his  new  Rome 
the  great  St.  Sophia,  one  of  the  grandest  Christian 
structures  in  the  world,  where  Chrysostom  preached, 
and  where  the  councils  were  held  w^hich  determined  the 
faith  of  Christendom.  As  we  stand  to-day  before  the 
massive  walls  of  Constantinople,  which  proudly  with- 
stood twenty  sieges,  and  still  retain  much  of  their  an- 
cient grandeur,  we  recall  the  days  of  old  when  the 
armies  of  Xerxes  and  Darius,  of  Demosthenes  and 
Alexander,  of  the  Huns  and  Tatars,  Slavs,  Cru- 
saders, and  Turks  fought  in  turn  about  them.  The 
city  throngs  to-day  with  a  million  inhabitants  of 
many  nationalities,  virile  Turks,  enterprising  Arme- 
nians, versatile  Greeks,  and  a  score  of  other  tribes 
and  tongues.  As  Sir  William  M.  Ramsay  well  says: 
''  Constantinople  is  the  center  about  which  the  world's 
history  revolves.  It  is  the  bridge  that  binds  together 
the  East  and  the  West,  the  old  to  the  new  civilization, 
which  must  be  brought  into  harmony  before  the  cul- 
mination of  all  civilization  can  appear,  bringing  peace 
on  earth,  good-will  to  men." 

Turks  Have  Racial  Strength.  If  we  would  real- 
ize the  significance  of  the  present  movement  in  Tur- 
key, we  may  well  examine  the  conditions  that  ob- 
tained in  old  Turkey  under  the  full  sway  of  the 
Moslem  power.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  as  we  examine 
the  dark  picture  of  Turkey's  past  and  its  misrule, 
that  the  Turks  in  themselves  are  an  ignoble  race. 
Rather  the  opposite  is  true.  There  is  always  some- 
thing noble  about  raw  manhood.     All  the  potencies 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  169 

of  the  best  races  He  within  it  if  it  is  given  a  chance 
to  develop.  As  in  the  case  of  Japan,  the  fauUs  of 
the  Turks  are  due  to  sociological  rather  than  biolog- 
ical causes;  they  are  the  result  of  environment  rather 
than  of  any  inherent  defect  or  weakness  in  the 
Turkish  race.  We  were  informed  by  leading  educa- 
tors in  the  Near  East  that  in  colleges  and  schools 
where  Turkish  students  were  placed  in  competition 
with  Greek,  Bulgarian,  Servian,  Armenian,  and  other 
students,  that,  not  only  in  courtesy  and  politeness, 
but  in  intellectual  acumen  and  virility  and  strength 
of  character,  the  Turkish  students  are  often  superior 
to  those  of  the  surrounding  nations. 

A  Record  of  Misrule.  As  we  look  back  over  the 
history  of  Turkey  we  can  trace  long  centuries  of 
criminal  injustice  and  misrule.  We  find  the  Turkish 
population  left  stagnant  and  corrupt,  subject  nations 
crushed  and  oppressed,  industry  choked,  agriculture 
undeveloped,  the  farmer  robbed,  the  poor  oppressed, 
womanhood  despoiled,  manhood  sensualized,  and 
childhood  corrupted.  Sir  Edwin  Pears,  after  resid- 
ing a  lifetime  among  the  Turks,  writes  of  the  old 
regime  in  Turkey  and  Its  People: 

Beyond  Words  to  Describe.  ''  The  career  of  the 
Turks  during  the  last  five  centuries  is  one  of  de- 
struction and  never  of  construction.  ...  In  denounc- 
ing the  iniquities  of  misgovernment  in  Turkey  it 
was  hardly  possible  to  employ  the  language  of  exag- 
geration. When  writing  of  the  general  corruption 
in  the  administration  of  government;  of  the  great 
variety  and  nimiber  of  outrages  committed;  the  tor- 


170  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

ture  of  prisoners  to  obtain  evidence  or  confession; 
of  the  imprisonment  of  crowds  of  Armenians  to  find 
one  criminal;  the  daily  extortion,  shared  in  or  per- 
mitted, by  those  in  authority;  the  organized  mas- 
sacres of  tens  of  thousands  whose  offenses  were,  first, 
that  they  were  Christians,  and  second,  that  they  were 
more  prosperous  than  their  Moslem  neighbors,  hardly 
any  language  could  be  characterized  as  too  violent." 

Abdul  Hamid.  Turkish  misrule  was  concentrated 
and  personalized  in  Abdul  Hamid  II.,  who  was  the 
thirty-fourth  ruler  in  succession  to  Othman.  His 
reign  lasted  from  1876  to  1909.  This  man,  whom 
Gladstone  called  "  Abdul  the  Damned,"  during  his 
rule  was  responsible  for  the  misery  of  over  a  million 
souls  if  we  include  the  number  subjected  to  torture, 
mutilation,  rape,  robbery,  and  slavery.  Sir  William 
M.  Ramsay  says :  "  Abdul  Hamid  has  a  fair  claim  to 
rank  among  the  greatest  destroyers  of  human  kind 
that  have  ever  stained  the  pages  of  history.  Re- 
sponsible for  half  a  million  deaths,  a  still  larger  num- 
ber have  suffered  permanently  from  destitution,  tor- 
ture, mutilation,  loss  of  property,  of  honor,  etc.  Not 
one  spark  of  any  grand  or  great  quality  illumined  his 
life  or  ennobled  his  fall." 

Summary  of  Conditions.  Politically,  the  old 
Turkish  rule  was  corrupt  almost  beyond  belief. 
Bribery,  injustice,  and  robbery  characterized  most  of 
the  officials.  Turkey  was  "  a  fifteenth  century  Ori- 
ental government  in  conflict  with  modern  civilization." 
Intellectually,  the  people  were  left  in  ignorance  and 
mental  stagnation.     Schoolmasters  among  the  subject 


/■••/> 


i 
i 


ABDUL  HAMID  II 
Has  a  fair  claim  to  rank  among  the  greatest  destroyers  of  human  kind 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  171 

races  of  the  Bulgarians,  Armenians,  etc.,  were  tor- 
tured and  killed,  and  their  schools  closed,  as  the  offi- 
cial followed  Kis  unerring  instinct  in  opposing  all 
learning  and  progress.  Economically,  industry  lan- 
guished, agriculture  was  undeveloped,  the  same  plow 
was  used  as  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  progress  was 
impossible.  There  were  no  good  roads,  no  safe  com- 
munications, traveling  was  dangerous  if  not  impos- 
sible, the  press  was  throttled,  and  every  man  who 
showed  signs  of  independence,  enterprise,  or  progres- 
sive spirit  was  banished.  The  social  conditions  of  the 
old  Turkey  almost  beggar  description.  Manhood, 
womanhood,  and  childhood  alike  were  blighted. 

Largely  Due  to  Mohammedan  Intolerance.  The 
fanatical  intolerance  of  Mohammedanism  must  largely 
be  chargeable  with  this  misrule,  rather  than  any  in- 
herent inhumanity  of  the  Turkish  race.  They  are 
naturally  a  virile  and  capable  race.  But  after  being 
dominated  by  Islam  for  a  thousand  years,  and  after 
a  fair  trial  in  Europe  for  five  hundred  and  fifty  years, 
with  repeated  warnings  from  the  Powers  and  en- 
treaties from  their  oppressed  Christian  subjects,  is  it 
too  much  to  say  that  Islam  has  proved  a  failure? 

View  of  Lord  Cromer.  Lord  Cromer,  in  his 
Modern  Egypt,  quotes  Mohammed's  command  in  the 
Koran :  "  When  ye  encounter  the  unbelievers,  strike 
off  their  heads  until  ye  have  made  a  great  slaughter 
among  them,  and  bind  them  in  bonds.  .  .  .  O  true 
believers,  if  ye  assist  God,  by  fighting  for  his  religion, 
he  will  assist  you  against  your  enemies;  and  will  set 
your  feet  fast;  but  as  for  infidels,  let  them  perish; 


172  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

and  their  works  God  shall  render  vain.  .  .  .  Verily, 
God  will  introduce  those  who  believe  and  do  good 
works  into  gardens  beneath  which  rivers  flow,  but  the 
unbelievers  indulge  themselves  in  pleasures,  and  eat 
as  beasts  eat;  and  their  abode  shall  be  hell  fire." 
Lord  Cromer  adds :  "  When  principles  such  as  these 
have  been  dinned  for  centuries  past  into  the  ears  of 
Moslems,  it  can  be  no  matter  for  surprise  that  a  spirit 
of  intolerance  has  been  generated." 

Favorable  Features.  We  gladly  recognize  every 
wholesome  and  true  element  in  Mohammedanism.  Its 
fervid  and  unflinching  monotheism,  its  splendid  virility 
and  zeal,  its  missionary  propaganda,  its  stern  legalism, 
and  its  ceremonial  and  moral  precepts  have  made  the 
Turk,  generally  speaking,  clean,  sober,  obedient,  dis- 
ciplined, contented,  and  reverent.  There  is  much  in 
the  Koran  itself  to  indicate  that  the  religion  is  not 
necessarily  a  foe  to  Christianity,  and  there  are  many 
points  of  contact  and  lines  of  approach  which  it  opens 
up  to  the  Christian  missionary. 

Defects  and  Shortcomings.  But  the  shortcomings 
of  Mohammedanism,  even  at  its  best,  cannot  be  for- 
gotten. In  moral  character  we  find  the  people,  after 
five  centuries  of  absolute  Moslem  rule,  untruthful  to 
a  high  degree.  That  is  not  strange  when  Mohammed 
himself  says :  "  Verily  a  lie  is  allowable  in  three  cases, 
to  women,  to  reconcile  friends,  and  in  war."  Living- 
stone's testimony  in  Africa  was :  "  Heathen  Africans 
are  much  superior  to  the  Mohammedans,  who  are  the 
most  worthless  one  can  have."  Lord  Curzon  finds 
the  same  true  in  Persia,  when  he  says :  "  I  am  con- 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  173 

vinced  that  the  true  son  of  Iran  would  sooner  He  than 
tell  the  truth."  Any  one  who  has  lived  in  Turkey 
can  bear  the  same  testimony  as  to  dishonesty, 
especially  in  official  classes. 

Extreme  Sensuality.  A  second  and  yet  more 
grave  evil  fruitage  of  the  Moslem  faith  is  its  wide- 
spread sensuality.  Dr.  von  During,  the  German  spe- 
cialist, in  his  scientific  report  on  the  widespread  dis- 
eases in  the  Turkish  army  and  among  the  population 
in  general,  stated  that  the  race  would  be  extinct  in 
two  generations  if  the  present  lustful  life  were  con- 
tinued unchecked.  Even  Abdul  Hamid  was  alarmed 
at  the  conditions  existing. 

Blighted  Womanhood.  The  third  and  greatest 
charge  against  Mohammedanism  is  the  blight  which 
it  has  everywhere  cast  upon  womanhood.  It  has 
doomed  numbers  of  its  women  to  seclusion  and  igno- 
rance. The  life  in  the  harem,  the  seraglio,  the  zenana, 
and  behind  the  purdah  is  for  the  most  part  unwritten 
and  unknown  in  the  West.  And  here  again  Mo- 
hammedanism must  be  held  accountable  for  the  fruits 
of  this  system.  Its  permitted  polygamy,  its  unlimited 
divorce  for  the  most  trifling  cause  or  whim,  its  sanc- 
tion of  slavery,  are  traceable  back  to  the  practise  of 
Mohammed  and  the  commands  of  the  Koran.  Indeed, 
this  faith  has  cast  its  shadow  upon  every  Moslem 
home  in  Asia.  Can  it  be  said  that  the  hundred  mil- 
lions or  more  of  Moslem  women  have  their  God- 
given  rights  under  this  system?  For  centuries  the 
desolated  villages  of  Africa,  and  the  long  slave  gangs 
on  the  dreary  march  from  the  Dark  Continent  to  the 


174  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

slave  markets  of  Constantinople,  during  which  more 
than  half  died  by  the  wayside,  add  their  volume  to 
the  tale  of  ruined  and  wronged  womanhood  which  is 
chargeable  to  the  Moslem  faith.  Islam  casts  its 
shadow  upon  womanhood,  even  within  the  gates  of 
Paradise,  where  she  is  conceived  to  exist  to  satisfy 
the  lust  of  man.  Any  one  who  has  traveled  through 
Moslem  lands  can  hardly  write  with  calmness  or  with- 
out a  sense  of  burning  indignation  when  reviewing 
the  wrongs  of  womanhood  under  Islam. 

Revolution  of  1908.  We  gladly  turn  from  this 
dark  and  depressing  picture  of  the  past  to  the  signs 
of  a  new  day.  It  began  with  the  revolution  of  1908, 
and  was  further  advanced  by  the  Peace  of  London 
in  1913.  Contact  with  the  liberty  and  prosperity  of 
Christian  nations,  the  education  of  some  of  the  young 
men  of  Turkey,  and  information  brought  in  through 
the  printing-press,  set  at  work  within  Turkey  the 
leaven  of  the  new  principles  of  life.  Every  young 
Turk  banished  for  liberal  ideas  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
Turkish  Empire  became  a  missionary  of  the  new  era. 
A  campaign  of  education  and  a  secret  propaganda 
for  liberty  were  carried  on  throughout  the  army  and 
in  the  distant  provinces.  In  1891  a  group  of  young 
Turks  formed  themselves  into  *'  The  Committee  of 
Union  and  Progress."  Their  headquarters  were  suc- 
cessively in  Geneva,  Paris,  and  Salonica.  Their  first 
public  success  was  winning  the  troops  stationed  in 
Salonica  and  Monastir.  Here  the  army  took  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  Committee.  Officers  who  opposed 
were  shot.     The  leaders  opened  up  telegraphic  com- 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  175 

munication  with  the  Sultan  in  Constantinople.  When 
he  learned  that  the  troops  were  against  him  and  that 
even  the  long-loyal  Albanians  had  joined  the  move- 
ment, he  yielded  to  the  insistent  and  immediate  de- 
mand for  the  revival  of  the  Constitution  of  1876, 
which  had  remained  in  force  only  a  few  months. 

Constitutional  Government  Conceded.  On  the 
24th  of  July,  1908,  the  Sultan  granted  this  constitu- 
tion to  the  people,  providing  for  a  responsible  min- 
istry, a  senate  and  chamber  of  deputies,  the  right 
of  public  meeting,  freedom  of  the  press,  the  appoint- 
ment of  judges  for  life,  compulsory  primary  educa- 
tion, and  religious  liberty.  To  this  constitution  the 
Sultan  solemnly  swore  fidelity  upon  the  Koran  itself. 
The  Sheik-ul-Islam,  the  high  priest  of  the  Moham- 
medan faith,  proclaimed  the  declaration  of  the  con- 
stitution and  of  the  Sultan's  oath.  The  motto  adopted 
from  the  West  by  the  constitutional  leaders  was 
"  Liberty,  Justice,  Equality,  and  Fraternity." 

Joy  Over  New  Outlook.  When  the  first  ballot- 
boxes  were  opened  for  the  election  of  the  representatives 
of  the  people,  little  girls  dressed  in  white  stood  in  lines 
upon  either  side  of  these  sacred  symbols  of  liberty, 
while  the  voters  marched  by  with  flags  and  songs  of 
joy.  Parliament  was  opened  on  December  18,  1908, 
by  Abdul  Hamid  himself. 

Abdul  Hamid's  Counter  Move  Soon  Reversed. 
This  crafty  Nero,  however,  was  only  biding  his  time. 
Enlisting  the  service  of  members  of  the  Liberal 
Unionist  Party,  using  bribery  and  corruption,  he 
spread  disaffection  among  the  troops  about  Constanti- 


176  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

nople  against  the  Hberal  leaders.  On  April  13,  1909, 
the  troops  rose,  shot  the  liberal  officers,  seized  the 
parliament  building,  and  drove  out  the  Young  Turk 
Party.  Once  again  in  possession  of  power,  Abdul 
Hamid  sent  his  order  to  Cilicia  to  kill  the  Arme- 
nians, who  were  showing  some  signs  of  independence. 
In  obedience  to  his  order,  simultaneously  in  Adana, 
Tarsus,  and  elsewhere,  an  attack  was  made  on  this 
defenseless  people.  This  whole  movement  was  a 
counter-revolution,  aimed  to  fan  the  flame  of  the  old 
Moslem  fanaticism  against  the  new  liberal  ideas. 
The  Young  Turk  leaders,  however,  quickly  rallied  at 
Salonica,  hurried  the  troops  by  rail  toward  the  capital, 
and  within  eleven  days  arrived  within  striking  dis- 
tance of  Abdul  Hamid's  palace  itself.  The  senate 
reassembled,  and  the  Sheik-ul-Islam  read  a  proclama- 
tion deposing  the  Sultan  on  the  grounds  of  treason 
and  misgovernment.  On  the  28th  of  April  the  Young 
Turks  regained  possession  of  Constantinople  and 
seized  Abdul  Hamid,  who  was  sent  on  a  special  train 
as  a  prisoner  to  Salonica  within  two  weeks  of  his 
launching  of  the  counter-revolution.  We  passed  the 
villa  in  which  this  crafty  and  cruel  monarch  was  then 
confined.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this,  like  the  Boxer 
uprising  in  China,  was  the  last  convulsive  death- 
struggle  of  the  old  era. 

Young  Turks'  Good  Intention.  Many  of  the 
Young  Turks  honestly  meant  to  reform  the  Turkish 
government.  They  had  deposed  the  Sultan,  recalled 
40,000  exiles,  dismissed  the  30,000  spies,  punished 
many    who    were    guilty    of    the    Adana    massacres, 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  177 

granted  freedom  of  worship,  of  travel,  and  the  edu- 
cation of  Moslem  students.  But  they  failed  to  de- 
velop unselfish,  patriotic  leaders.  In  order  to  win 
the  support  of  the  fanatical  and  reactionary  Mos- 
lem element  they  endeavored  to  bring  all  the  subject 
peoples  into  conformity  to  Turkish  standards  without 
regard  to  their  race,  religion,  or  language.  Mace- 
donia especially  bitterly  resented  the  Turkish  policy. 

Causes  of  the  Balkan  War.  Dr.  Joseph  K.  Greene, 
in  "  Turkey  and  the  Balkan  War  "  ^  states  the  causes 
of  the  war  as  follows:  There  was  the  memory  of 
ancient  wrongs  rankling  in  the  breast  of  every  Greek 
and  Slav.  The  memories  of  wrongs  suffered  by  their 
mothers  and  grandmothers,  and  the  atrocities  com- 
mitted against  their  relatives  in  Macedonia,  melted 
them  into  one  burning  unit  of  indignation.  Secondly, 
the  sympathy  of  the  Balkan  people  for  their  co- 
religionists still  under  the  Turkish  rule.  Thirdly, 
and  perhaps  chiefly,  the  allied  States  had  a  passionate 
desire  to  extend  their  own  borders,  for  formerly  the 
Bulgarians  and  Servians  had  ruled  in  turn  over  almost 
all  the  Balkan  Peninsula.  All  these  causes  com- 
bined to  drive  the  Turk  from  Europe,  and  to  lead 
the  Balkans  to  successful  war. 

Turks  Weak  in  Organization  and  Defeated. 
The  Turks  fought  with  their  old-time  bravery,  but 
even  within  fifty  miles  of  Constantinople  their  cor- 
rupt and   effete  organization,  or  rather  lack  of  or- 

^  Pamphlet  of  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions. 


178  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

ganization,  was  unable  to  supply  the  troops  with 
either  bread  or  ammunition.  So  long  as  the  Bal- 
kan allies  were  united  they  swept  everything  before 
them.  Divided,  they  presented  a  pitiable  spectacle, 
as  a  divided  Christendom  always  does.  By  the  Peace 
of  London,  Turkey  was  stripped  of  practically  all  her 
possessions  in  Europe,  and  the  Turks  in  large  num- 
bers crossed  from  Europe  into  Asia,  which  is  to  be 
their  future  home. 

Probable  Results.  It  is  too  soon  to  state  the  final 
effect  of  the  war,  but  there  is  already  evidence  that 
certain  results  will  follow,  i.  There  is  a  distinct 
loss  of  prestige  by  Turkey  as  the  political  exponent  of 
Islam,  and  a  consequent  check  to  the  Pan-Islamic 
movement.  2.  The  Christian  nationalities  in  the 
empire  are  now  emboldened  to  demand  their  rights. 
The  government  must  finally  commit  itself  to  a 
process  of  more  or  less  decentralization,  with  a  certain 
amount  of  foreign  supervision.  3.  Turkey  will  be 
forced  to  introduce  radical  and  final  reforms,  or,  if 
she  again  proves  unable  or  unwilling  to  reform,  the 
ultimate  disintegration  of  the  empire  is  at  hand. 
4.  There  will  be  a  larger  opening  up  of  Turkey  to 
missionary  work.  This  probably  will  be  followed  by 
the  ingathering  into  the  Christian  Church  of  a  body 
of  Moslem  converts  in  the  Near  East,  and  the  recon- 
struction of  Islam  in  the  efifort  to  adapt  it  to  modern 
civilization,  culture,  and  progress. 

Problem  of  Reorganization  of  Government.  Let 
us  consider  some  of  the  problems  created  for  Turkey 
by  the  new  era  and  the  recent  wan    First  of  all  there 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  179 

is  the  serious  problem  of  the  reorganization  of  the 
government,  with  all  the  financial,  administrative,  edu- 
cational, and  economic  questions  involved  in  such  a 
reorganization.  If  Turkey  is  willing  and  desirous 
of  accomplishing  real  reforms  at  this  time,  she  de- 
serves our  hearty  sympathy.  She  is  confronted  with 
the  enormous  difficulties  of  race  division;  the  Aryan, 
the  Tatar,  and  the  Semite  are  side  by  side.  Even 
her  present  empire  embraces  ancient  races,  proud 
of  their  past  history,  with  strong  traditions  and  a 
growing  national  sentiment  in  each. 

Opposing  Religions.  Her  difficulty  is  increased 
further  by  the  differences  of  religion,  for  her  sub- 
jects embrace  the  followers  of  the  three  intolerant 
religions  of  the  world,  reacting  upon  each  other,  the 
bigoted  Jew,  the  fanatical  Moslem,  and  the  mission- 
ary Christian.  Each  claims  the  first  place,  and  from 
the  very  nature  of  their  creeds  can  admit  no  rival  nor 
equal.  With  depleted  finances,  undeveloped  resources, 
a  divided  population,  an  almost  utter  absence  of  an 
educational  system,  and  with  no  preliminary  training 
in  a  school  of  subordination  to  a  Western  power, 
Turkey's  political  problem  of  reorganization  is  over- 
whelming. 

Problem  of  Moral  and  Religious  Reform.  Even 
more  serious  than  the  problem  of  internal  reorganiza- 
tion is  the  one  underlying  problem  of  moral  and  re- 
ligious reform.  Thus  far  faith  and  practise,  morality 
and  religion  have  been  widely  separated  in  Turkey. 
Emphasizing  the  outward  and  ceremonial  in  her  own 
religion,  Turkey  has  seen  the  worst  side  of  Christian 


i8o  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

nations  in  their  political  propaganda,  often  without 
sincerity  and  without  principle.  She  has  had  before 
her  the  example  of  the  Oriental  Churches  and  the 
diplomacy  of  foreign  nations.  The  moral  forces  of 
Christianity  have  not  yet  been  brought  to  bear  suffi- 
ciently upon  her. 

Signs  of  Hope.  There  are,  however,  signs  of  hope. 
The  Moslems  are  now  finding  it  possible  to  interpret 
the  Koran  so  as  to  permit  them  to  give  a  somewhat 
larger  degree  of  religious  toleration  and  political 
equity  to  Christians.  .  They  are  beginning  in  this  new 
era  to  take  a  deeper  interest  in  science,  art,  and  cul- 
ture. They  are  now  emphasizing  the  education  of 
women.  In  the  case  of  influential  individuals  they  are 
showing  themselves  capable  of  approving  in  principle 
all  broad  philanthropic  work,  such  as  is  now  being 
carried  on  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  similar  work  that  is  being  begun  by  the  American 
Board.  Turkey  is  facing,  however,  the  increasing 
moral  degeneracy  of  the  youth  of  all  races  within  her 
empire.  Something  must  be  done  to  check  the  rising 
tide  of  agnosticism,  infidelity,  and  immorality.  Her 
deepest  problem,  underlying  political  reorganization 
and  international  relations  is,  therefore,  moral  and 
religious. 

Evidence  of  New  Era.  Already  there  are  en- 
couraging evidences  of  the  new  era.  Politically,  in 
spite  of  all  the  depressing  features,  there  are  signs  of 
hope.  The  continuation  of  the  selfish  land-grabbing 
and  privilege-grabbing  policy  of  the  foreign  powers, 
if  persisted  in,   can  only  end  in  the  political  disin- 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  l8i 

tegration  of  Turkey.  But  there  is  now  a  chance  that 
the  less  selfish  of  the  European  powers  may  finally  in- 
sist upon  an  improvement  in  the  political  and  social 
conditions  of  the  Christian  races.  Many  individual 
Turks  are  inquiring  into  the  causes  of  their  defeat, 
and  leaders  may  be  raised  up  from  among  their  own 
people  who  will  take  to  heart  the  lessons  of  their  recent 
humiliation.  In  a  Turkish  newspaper  of  November 
13,  1912,  there  was  published  an  open  letter  written 
by  Prince  Sabah-ed-din,  a  grandson  of  Sultan  Hamid 
and  an  heir  to  the  throne,  in  which,  addressing  the 
present  Sultan,  he  says :  "  Sire,  however  bitter  this 
truth  may  be,  we  must  confess  to  ourselves  that  our 
greatest  enemy  is  not  Italy,  nor  Europe,  nor  the  Bal- 
kans, but  ourselves.  The  seat  of  the  evil  is  in  our 
own  private  life." 

Movement  toward  Christian  Schools.  Educa- 
tionally, also  there  are  signs  of  hope.  One  of  the 
prominent  ministers  of  the  Cabinet  a  few  weeks  ago 
made  application  to  place  both  of  his  daughters  in 
the  American  College  for  Girls  at  Constantinople.  The 
ten  colleges  and  fifty  high  schools  under  the  control 
of  American  missions  in  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  and 
Egypt  will  be  overcrowded  and  unable  to  receive  all 
the  Moslems  who  will  now  clamor  for  admission  in 
the  new  era. 

Prospective  Economic  Progress.  Economically, 
progress  cannot  be  prevented,  though  it  may  be  re- 
tarded by  an  antiforeign  policy  on  the  part  of  the 
government.  The  coming  decade  will  probably  show 
the  development  of  new  modern  harbors,  the  build- 


1 82  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

ing  of  railways,  the  development  of  manufacturing 
and  mining,  and  a  consequent  increase  in  trade.  In 
spite  of  the  great  irrigation  projects  in  Asia  Minor 
and  Mesopotamia,  which  will  be  rapidly  pushed 
through,  and  which  will  offer  an  opportunity  for 
large  numbers  of  the  agricultural  population,  the 
darkest  prospect  is  in  the  matter  of  agriculture,  which 
bids  fair  to  continue  along  its  present  crude  lines. 
The  taxes  are  still  being  farmed  out,  and  as  long  as 
this  state  of  things  continues  little  progress  can  come 
to  the  needy  farmer. 

Mission  Outlook.  Let  us  consider,  in  closing,  the 
work  of  Christian  missions  in  Turkey  and  the  Near 
East,  and  the  call  of  the  new  era. 

Beginnings  by  Europe  and  America.  The  Mo- 
hammedan world  will  stand  as  the  last  challenge  be- 
fore the  Christian  Church.  But  the  Church  has  been 
strangely  slow  to  advance  against  this  great  and  seem- 
ingly impregnable  fortress.  A  few  feeble  attempts 
were  made  in  past  centuries,  but  the  Church  as  a  whole 
has  never  addressed  itself  to  the  Mohammedan  prob- 
lem. Rather  it  has  turned  to  Islam  its  worst  side. 
As  far  back  as  the  thirteenth  century,  Raymond  Lull 
had  witnessed  to  the  Moslems.  Opposed,  imprisoned, 
banished,  he  was  finally  stoned  to  death  in  his  eight- 
ieth year,  in  13 15  in  Africa.  Henry  Martyn  had  be- 
gun his  work  for  Moslems  in  India  in  1806,  and  laid 
down  his  life  at  Tokat,  Turkey-in-Asia,  in  1812.  He 
had  fulfilled  his  ambition  "  to  burn  out  for  God." 
The  revived  interest  in  the  Jews  in  1819  led  the  Ameri- 
can Board  to  send  the  first  two  missionaries  to  the 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  183 

Jews  of  Palestine,  as  well  as  to  the  Moslems.  Smyrna 
and  Beirut  were  entered  in  1820,  and  Constantinople 
in  1 83 1,  In  1870  the  field  was  divided  between  the 
two  principal  missions,  the  American  Board  taking 
Turkey  and  the  Balkans,  and  the  Presbyterian  Board 
Syria  and  Persia.  The  door  of  access  to  the  Jews 
and  Moslems  being  closed,  the  missionaries  were  led 
to  turn  their  attention  first  to  the  old  Oriental  Churches. 
They  did  not  attempt  to  establish  a  new  Church,  or  to 
proselytize  from  members  of  the  old  Churches.  In 
1846,  however,  under  a  new  and  ignorant  patriarch, 
all  Christians  who  read  the  Bible  were  thrown  into 
prison,  a  reign  of  terror  was  instituted,  and  a  bull  of 
excommunication  drove  out  the  evangelical  members 
of  the  Armenian  Church,  and  compelled  them  to  form 
the  first  Protestant  Church. 

Praise  for  American  Work.  Gladstone  wrote: 
"  The  American  missions  in  Turkey  have  done  more 
good  to  the  inhabitants  of  that  country  than  has  all 
Europe  combined."  Ambassador  James  Bryce  says 
of  the  American  missions :  "  They  have  been  the  only 
good  influence  that  has  worked  from  abroad  on  the 
Turkish  empire."  Rear  Admiral  Chester  of  the 
American  navy  makes  this  statement :  "  The  eight 
colleges,  the  forty-four  high  schools,  and  the  300 
common  schools  of  the  educational  system  of  the 
American  missions  have  left  the  masses  with  high 
ideals,  the  knowledge  of  true  institutions,  and  long- 
ings for  better  government." 

Two  Leavening  Institutions.  Two  institutions 
have  stood  as  radiating  centers  of  light  in  the  dark- 


184  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

ness  of  the  Near  East, — Robert  College  in  Constanti- 
nople, with  473  students,  and  the  Syrian  Protestant 
College  at  Beirut,  with  897.  The  former,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Bosphorus,  has  been  educating  the  young 
Greeks,  Bulgarians,  Armenians,  and,  in  later  years, 
the  Turks  also.  As  Professor  Beach  says :  "  Robert 
College  has  exerted  an  incalculable  influence  for  Chris- 
tian life  all  over  the  empire.  Among  its  graduates 
are  many  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  Bulgaria,  and 
it  is  perhaps  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  nation  really 
owes  its  existence  to  the  influence  exerted  by  Presi- 
dent George  Washburn  and  his  associates.  Its  stu- 
dents have  included  representatives  of  twenty  nation- 
alities." Of  the  college  at  Beirut,  Dr.  Mott  writes: 
*'  This  is  one  of  the  three  most  important  institutions 
in  all  Asia.  In  fact  there  is  no  college  which  has  within 
one  generation  accomplished  a  greater  work  and  which 
to-day  has  a  larger  opportunity.  It  has  practically 
created  the  medical  profession  of  the  Levant.  It  has 
been  the  most  influential  factor  of  the  East.  It  has 
been  and  is  the  center  for  genuine  Christian  and 
scientific  literature  in  all  that  region.  Fully  one 
fourth  of  the  graduates  of  the  collegiate  department 
have  entered  Christian  work  either  as  preachers  or 
as  teachers  in  Christian  schools." 

Auxiliary  Educational  Centers.  The  American 
College  for  Girls  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Mary 
Patrick  is  doing  similar  work  among  the  women  of 
the  Near  East.  The  above  colleges  and  the  splendid 
institutions  conducted  by  the  American  Board,  such 
as  the  Euphrates  College  at  Harpoot,  the  institution 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  185 

at  Aintab,  the  Anatolia  College  at  Marsovan,  St. 
Paul's  Institute  at  Tarsus,  and  the  International  Col- 
lege at  Smyrna,  stand  like  a  chain  of  lighthouses  along 
a  dark  and  dangerous  coast. 

Meetings  in  Constantinople.  For  ten  days  in 
Constantinople  we  held  meetings  separately  for  the 
various  classes  of  the  community.  Near  the  Imperial 
Ottoman  University,  in  the  meetings  held  especially 
for  Moslems,  it  was  said  that  a  larger  number  of  Mo- 
hammedans were  present  than  have  ever  before  come 
to  Christian  meetings  in  the  city.  On  the  last  night 
many  were  standing,  and  gave  the  closest  and  most 
earnest  attention  as  we  spoke  of  Christ.  For  three 
nights  meetings  were  also  held  for  the  Greek  young 
men.  The  Bishop  of  the  Orthodox  Church  was  pres- 
ent and  spoke  with  fervor.  Meetings  were  also  held 
for  the  Armenians,  and  in  various  higher  educational 
institutions  of  the  city.  We  devoted  several  days  to 
Robert  College,  which  draws  its  students  from  all 
parts  of  the  empire,  Greeks,  Armenians,  Bulgarians, 
Turks,  and  even  Russians.  Its  graduates  have  gone 
out  to  remold  communities,  nationalities,  and  churches. 
It  is  to-day  the  greatest  educational  force  at  the  center 
of  the  Turkish  Empire. 

War  in  Prospect.  The  Balkan  war  had  long  been 
brewing.  Signs  of  it  were  everywhere  apparent  even 
in  April,  1912,  when  the  writer  visited  in  turn  th6 
Balkan  States  of  Greece,  Bulgaria,  and  Servia.  On 
the  day  he  was  permitted  to  address  the  students  of 
the  National  Bulgarian  Military  Academy  in  Sofia, 
which  was  training  all  the  young  officers  for  their 


i86  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

efficient  army,  a  drummer  was  going  through  the  city- 
summoning  the  reserves  to  be  in  readiness. 

Meaning  of  Emancipation  from  Moslem  Misrule. 
A  prophecy  of  the  new  era  in  Turkey  may  be  gathered 
from  the  emancipation  which  has  followed  the  Balkan 
States  the  moment  they  were  freed  from  Moslem 
misrule.^ 

Changed  Outlook  in  Greece.  Greece,  long 
crushed  and  humbled  under  the  Moslem  yoke,  sank 
to  an  almost  unbelievable  level  under  that  blighting 
rule.  Byron's  Letters  While  in  Greece,  and  the  re- 
ports of  travelers  from  1810  to  1840  who  observed 
the  long,  eager  struggle  for  freedom,  show  the  pitiful 
condition  of  the  nation  under  the  Moslems.  Even 
the  British  consul,  writing  in  1825,  could  say:  "There 
are  some  persons  who  choose  to  call  this  collection  of 
huts  Athens,  and  profess  to  believe  that  the  barbarians 
who  live  in  them  are  capable  of  civilization.  To  such 
persons  I  do  not  address  my  observations/'  Visiting 
Athens  in  19 12,  only  eighty  years  freed  from  the 
Turkish  yoke,  we  found  it  a  beautiful  city  with  200,- 
000  inhabitants,  with  every  sign  of  culture  and  pro- 


^  The  area  and  population  of  the  Balkan  States,  among 
which  Greece  is  sometimes  included,  before  the  war  were  as 
follows : 

Area  Population 

Rumania  50,000  square  miles  6,000,000 

Bulgaria   37,ooo            "  4,284,000 

Servia   i8,(X)0            "  2,500,000 

Greece    25,000            "  2,433,000 

Montenegro 3,630  250,000 

Greece  became  an  independent  kingdom  in  1832,  Rumania, 
Servia,  and  Bulgaria,  respectively,  in  1881,  1882,  and  1908. 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  187 

gressive  civilization.  The  week  in  Greece  exceeded 
our  highest  expectations.  With  only  a  day's  notice 
for  our  evangelistic  meetings,  in  the  midst  of  the  ex- 
citement of  election  week,  with  crowds  parading  the 
streets,  and  many  competing  political  gatherings,  we 
were  surprised  the  first  evening  to  find  the  hall 
crowded.  On  the  second  night  two  hundred  students 
were  standing,  and  it  was  only  with  difficulty  we  could 
get  into  the  hall.  After  speaking  for  an  hour,  we 
could  hardly  persuade  the  students  to  leave.  A  Stu- 
dent Christian  Association  was  successfully  organized 
by  Dr.  Mott  the  previous  year,  in  191 1,  among  the 
men  of  the  University  of  Athens,  with  its  more  than 
two  thousand  students.  The  writer  was  asked  to  ad- 
dress the  theological  seminary  for  training  the  priests 
of  the  Orthodox  Greek  Church,  also  a  society  of  older 
priests  and  theologians,  and  the  society  of  the  Ana- 
plasis.  The  metropolitan  of  the  Greek  Church  gave 
us  his  blessing  and  expressed  his  approval  of  the  work 
we  were  doing. 

Marks  of  Wide  Appreciation.  Our  interpreter  in 
Athens  was  an  Olympic  champion  who  is  the  leading 
athlete  of  Greece  and  an  earnest  Christian.  The 
Greek  athletes  crowded  to  the  meetings  as  a  result. 
He  interpreted  like  a  pugilist,  and  threw  himself  with 
fire  and  force  into  the  work.  Just  before  leaving 
Athens,  Queen  Olga  received  us,  and  asked  with  deep 
interest  about  the  World's  Student  Christian  Federa- 
tion, and  spoke  even  with  tears  of  the  heroism  of 
modern  missions.  She  urged  that  we  organize  Bible 
classes  among  the  students  in  Greece. 


1 88  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

New  Era  in  Bulgaria.  From  Greece  we  came  ta 
Sofia,  the  capital  of  Bulgaria.  This  little  country^ 
with  its  four  and  a  half  million  people,  rose  rapidly 
after  it  emerged  from  the  crushing  misrule  and  mas- 
sacres of  the  Turkish  yoke.  In  the  capital,  Sofia, 
which  a  generation  ago  was  a  "  miserable  village  of 
mud  huts,"  we  found  paved  streets,  fine  buildings, 
and  a  university  of  twenty-five  hundred  students. 

Eager  Interest  among  Students.  This  government 
university  of  Bulgaria  opened  its  doors  and  gave  us  its 
large  hall.  The  student  meetings  were  crowded  and 
there  was  eager  interest.  On  Sunday  morning  the 
students  filled  the  large  theater,  in  spite  of  a  com- 
peting socialist  lecture  at  the  same  hour.  Some  five 
hundred  stayed  to  the  after-meeting  on  personal 
purity.  At  the  third  lecture  in  the  university,  there 
were  crowds  of  students,  professors,  socialists,  and  a 
few  Greek  priests.  Again  some  five  hundred  re- 
mained to  a  second  meeting,  after  we  had  spoken  on 
''What  think  ye  of  Christ?"  Over  a  hundred  stu- 
dents in  Sofia  gave  in  their  names  as  desiring  to  join 
Bible  classes,  to  come  into  a  closer  personal  relation 
with  Christ,  and  a  large  number  wished  to  read 
privately.  The  writer  was  asked  also  to  speak  in 
the  government  gymnasium,  or  boys'  high  school,  in 
the  girls'  gymnasium,  and  at  the  national  military 
academy,  which  is  training  all  the  officers  for  the  Bul- 
garian army. 

Rapid  Change  of  Attitude.  It  was  a  surprise  to> 
see  the  Student  Movement  firmly  established  in  Tur- 
key, and  in  the  three  Balkan  States  of  Greece,  Bui- 


The  New  Era  in  the  Near  East  189 

garia,  and  Servia,  and  to  find  in  every  city  groups  of 
students  meeting  for  Bible  study  and  for  personal 
work.  This  promises  much  for  the  future  of  these 
nations.  Five  years  ago,  and  in  most  places  even  two 
years  ago,  these  meetings  would  have  been  impossible. 
Doors  of  opportunity  are  opening  now  on  every  hand. 
An  Urgent  Call.  The  disintegration  of  Islam,  the 
formalism  of  the  ancient  Christian  Churches,  the  rapid 
growth  of  skepticism  and  of  immorality  among  the 
young  men  in  the  unsettled  political  conditions  of  the 
new  regime,  all  constitute  a  call  for  us  to  reenforce 
the  work  in  this  needy  field.  The  Near  East  and  the 
Balkans,  "  the  danger  zone  of  Europe,"  are  of  large 
and  growing  significance,  both  politically  and  reli- 
giously, and  must  not  be  forgotten  in  our  reckoning 
for  the  future.  The  tide  of  the  Moslem  advance  was 
broken  at  Vienna  in  1529,  and  finally  turned  back  in 
1574.  The  period  of  decline  has  been  going  on  during 
the  last  four  centuries.  The  defeat  of  Turkey,  cul- 
minating in  the  Treaty  of  London,  as  we  have  seen, 
marks  the  possibility  of  the  opening  of  a  new  era  of 
reconstruction.  Islam  must  change  or  die.  For  the 
first  time  since  the  Hegira  the  Mohammedans  of  the 
Near  East  are  open  to  free  and  aggressive  missionary 
work.  The  last  stronghold  of  spiritual  resistance 
rises  before  the  Church  to-day.  Let  us  "  go  in  and 
possess  the  land." 


THE  NEW  ERA  IN  WORLD  MISSIONS 


VIII 

THE  NEW  ERA  IN  WORLD  MISSIONS 

A  Great  and  Insistent  Issue.  We  have  observed 
in  the  preceding  chapters  unmistakable  signs  of  a  re- 
naissance in  Asia.  We  have  traced  the  development 
of  the  new  era  in  Japan,  Korea,  China,  India,  and 
the  Near  East.  The  evidence  and  the  argument  of 
these  facts  is  cumulative.  Taking  Asia  as  a  whole 
it  presents  the  greatest  and  most  insistent  issue  before 
the  Church  and  the  world  to-day.  It  is  an  issue  big 
and  imperative  enough  to  save  us  from  ourselves,  and 
to  call  us  to  sober  thought  and  to  united  action. 

Mission  Board  and  Student  Volunteer  Factors.  If 
Ave  look  back  over  the  last  century,  not  only  in  the  East 
hut  also  in  the  West,  we  find  it  is  equally  evident  that 
we  have  entered  upon  a  new  era  at  the  home  base  of 
missions.  The  past  century  has  been  one  of  organi- 
zation and  coordination  of  the  forces  of  Protestant 
Christendom.  In  1793  Carey  organized  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  in  England.  Following  upon  the 
Haystack  prayer-meeting  at  Williamstown,  American 
missions  began  with  the  organization  of  the  American 
Board  in  1810.  The  Edinburgh  Missionary  Confer- 
-ence  reported  994  missionary  organizations  at  the 
present  time.  To  undertake  the  evangelization  of  the 
non-Christian  world,  the  first  need  of  the  missionary 

193 


194  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

societies  was  men  to  send  abroad.  In  the  providence 
of  God  the  student  movement,  which  culminated  in 
the  organization  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement 
in  1886  and  the  World's  Student  Christian  Federation 
in  1895,  is  now  providing  men  for  this  great  world 
missionary  movement.  Already  more  than  7,000  vol- 
unteers from  Anglo-Saxon  countries  have  reached  the 
field  and  have  entered  upon  missionary  work  abroad. 
The  Student  Federation  in  1913  embraced  2,305  As- 
sociations, with  a  membership  of  156,071  students  and 
professors. 

Awakening  of  the  Whole  Church.  But  mission- 
ary societies  and  student  volunteers  alone  were  not 
enough  to  insure  the  success  of  the  missionary  under- 
taking. Nothing  less  than  the  arousing  of  the  whole 
Church  is  adequate  to  the  winning  of  the  whole  world. 
In  a  providential  way  the  various  young  people's  mis- 
sionary movements,  both  in  America  and  abroad,  to- 
gether with  the  great  Sunday-school  movement,  have 
been  preparing  the  younger  generation  to  undertake 
a  new  missionary  crusade.  The  more  than  5,000,000 
young  people  who  are  now  organized  in  these  move- 
ments, and  the  15,000,000  children  in  the  Sunday- 
schools  of  North  America,  are  being  reached  and  in- 
fluenced by  the  missionary  message,  in  a  way  that  was 
undreamed  of  in  any  previous  generation.  The  Mis- 
sionary Education  Movement  is  doing  a  notable  work 
in  the  great  cause  of  missionary  education.  More  than 
a  million  books  have  been  issued,  and  at  least  an  equal 
number  of  young  people  have  been  engaged  in  the 
study  of  missions.     Last  year  more  than  40,000  stu- 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  195 

dents  also  in  the  colleges  of  North  America  were  en- 
listed in  mission  study. 

Laymen  and  Total  Gifts.  But  the  laymen  re- 
mained as  the  greatest  unutilized  asset  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  The  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement 
and  the  Men  and  Religion  Movement  in  North 
America  have  done  much  to  quicken  the  conscience  of 
American  laymen.  Their  call  to  an  ''  every  member 
canvass,"  by  which  each  member  of  a  congregation  is 
invited  to  contribute  something  to  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions at  home  and  abroad;  the  arousing  of  the  con- 
science of  the  laity  through  conventions  and  confer- 
ences; the  emphasis  upon  the  sacred  responsibility  of 
stewardship,  have  led  to  an  increase  in  the  contributions- 
for  foreign  missions.  The  world's  gifts  to  foreign  mis- 
sions during  the  last  century,  according  to  Mr.  W.  E. 
Doughty,  have  increased  more  than  three  hundred- 
fold, rising  from  $100,000  annually  to  more  than  $30,- 
000,000  a  year  at  the  present  time.  The  gifts  from 
the  Christians  of  North  America  alone  now  total 
$15,600,000  annually. 

Coordination  through  Edinburgh  Conference. 
But  even  the  organization  of  so  many  scattered 
missionary  societies,  the  raising  up  of  student  volun- 
teers, the  education  of  young  people,  and  the  arousing 
of  the  laity  were  not  enough  for  the  adequate  entrance 
of  the  Church  upon  the  new  era  in  world  missions. 
The  coordination  of  the  missionary  forces  of  Prot- 
estant Christendom  at  the  home  base  and  abroad  was 
still  lacking.  The  Edinburgh  Missionary  Conference, 
held  in  191Q,  provided  just  this  unification  and  co- 


196  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

ordination  of  the  missionary  forces.  Just  as  the  Bal- 
kan Allies,  who  had  each  in  turn  been  defeated  and 
crushed  by  the  power  of  the  Turk,  became  invincible 
when  united  in  the  face  of  their  common  foe,  so  994 
scattered  missionary  organizations,  working  abroad 
without  coordination  and  oftentimes  with  overlapping 
and  competition,  could  not  achieve  what  the  same 
forces  could  do  if  mobilized  by  a  common  plan  of 
•campaign.  Just  as  the  people  of  India,  as  long  as 
they  are  divided  by  caste,  race,  and  religion,  are  help- 
less and  unable  to  govern  themselves,  so  the  mission- 
ary forces  could  not  hope  to  wield  full  power  with- 
out some  national  or  international  strategy.  At  the 
Edinburgh  Conference  for  the  first  time  all  the  great 
forces  of  Protestant  Christendom  were  drawn  to- 
gether. While  many  inspirational  conventions  pass, 
leaving  no  tangible  result,  the  effects  of  the  Edinburgh 
Conference  seem  steadily  to  grow  with  each  passing 
year.  The  great  step  forward  taken  in  the  matter  of 
Christian  unity  became  incarnated  and  perpetuated  in 
the  Continuation  Committee,  representing  the  various 
Protestant  missionary  societies  of  Europe  and  North 
America.  Through  the  pages  of  The  International 
Review  of  Missions,  through  the  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  great  problems  of  missions  by  the  various 
commissions  appointed  by  this  Continuation  Com- 
mittee, and  through  a  closer  coordination  of  all  the 
Protestant  forces  working  on  the  foreign  field  and  at 
the  home  base,  there  is  hope  of  a  new  science  of  mis- 
sions being  patiently  and  steadily  built  up.  We  may 
now  think  together,  plan  together,  and  act  together. 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  197 

Coordination   of   Field   Forces — India.      But   one 

further  step  was  needed  to  complete  the  great  work 
begun  by  the  Edinburgh  Conference;  that  was  the  co- 
ordination of  the  forces  on  the  field.  The  Continuation 
Committee  Conferences  conducted  by  the  chairman  of 
that  Committee  through  the  twenty-one  great  centers 
of  Asia  in  1912-13,  took  the  first  step  toward  the 
accomplishment  of  this  end,  just  as  the  Edinburgh 
Conference  had  drawn  together  the  societies  at  the 
home  base.  Asia  was  divided  into  twenty-one  con- 
venient areas,  and  under  the  direction  of  the  Continua- 
tion Committee,  Dr.  Mott,  as  its  chairman,  was  re- 
quested to  conduct  conferences  in  each  area,  calling  to- 
gether both  the  native  leaders  and  the  foreign  mission- 
aries of  each  district.  First  of  all,  such  conferences 
were  held  in  the  chief  city  of  each  of  the  eight  prov- 
inces of  India,  Burma,  and  Ceylon.  Practically  all  of 
the  great  Protestant  Christian  communions  were  rep- 
resented in  these  conferences.  The  Syrian  Church 
of  Travancore,  which  has  been  for  fifteen  centuries 
in  India,  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  sent  delegates 
to  a  Christian  conference  with  the  other  great  com- 
munions, where  they  met  on  terms  of  equality  and 
brotherhood.  The  venerable  metropolitan,  Mar 
Dionysius,  was  himself  present  at  the  Madras  Con- 
ference. At  the  close  of  each  conference,  committees 
on  findings  or  recommendations  were  asked  to  re- 
port. At  the  close  of  the  provincial  conferences 
throughout  India  a  national  conference  was  conducted 
in  Calcutta,  attended  by  the  leaders  appointed  by  each 
province.    It  was  probably  the  most  representative  and 


198  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

the  strongest  group  of  missionaries  and  Indian  leaders 
ever  gathered  in  the  history  of  Indian  missions. 

India  National  Missionary  Council.  Before  this 
conference  closed  it  appointed  a  National  Missionary 
Council,  which  will  unite  for  the  first  time,  in  the 
fullest  sense,  all  the  Protestant  Christian  forces  in 
India.  Bishop  Lefroy,  the  new  metropoUtan  of  India, 
is  the  convener  of  this  committee.  A  Board  of  Sur- 
vey was  appointed  to  make  a  thorough  study  of  the 
Indian  field.  Educational  unions  are  being  established 
or  strengthened  to  unite  the  forces  of  educational  mis- 
sions in  the  different  parts  of  India.  Union  institu- 
tions for  training  Christian  teachers,  for  the  higher 
education  of  women,  for  medical  work,  and  for  lan- 
guage study  were  recommended,  together  with  united 
evangelistic  campaigns.  Every  one  attending  this  great 
series  of  conferences  was  struck  by  the  dominant 
note  of  unity,  and  the  growing  consciousness  of  the 
Christian  body  as  it  is  being  knit  together  for  a  great, 
united,  and  forward  movement  on  the  mission  field. 
The  most  representative  Indian  Christian  in  South 
India  said  that  the  first  provincial  conference  had  ad- 
vanced the  cause  of  missions  in  his  field  by  a  full 
generation.  The  Bishop  of  Madras  in  writing  of  this 
series  of  conferences  says :  "  They  have  been  unique 
in  the  forethought  with  which  they  have  been  planned 
and  organized,  in  the  thoroughness  of  their  work,  in 
the  completeness  of  the  arranging  and  focusing  the 
best  thought  and  experience  of  the  Indian  field,  and 
the  wise  provision  of  an  adequate  machinery  for  mak- 
ing the  findings  effective  in  the  future." 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  199 

Action  in  China.  The  conferences  in  China  were 
similar  to  those  held  in  India,  and  were  even  more  ur- 
gently needed,  as  they  came  at  a  time  of  real  crisis 
in  the  missions  of  that  country.  The  Chinese  and 
foreign  forces  were  drawn  more  closely  together,  and 
a  deeper  sense  of  unity  among  the  various  bodies 
working  in  the  Chinese  Republic  was  created  by  the 
provincial  and  national  conferences.  These  also  re- 
sulted in  the  appointment  of  a  National  Committee, 
which  will  draw  together  the  Protestant  missionary 
societies  working  in  that  land. 

Wide  Coordination  in  Japan.  In  Japan  also  sim- 
ilar conferences  were  held,  first  with  the  missionaries, 
then  with  the  Japanese  Christian  leaders,  and  finally 
a  united  conference  of  both  bodies.  Six  of  the  seven 
Anglican  and  Episcopal  Bishops  of  Japan  were  pres- 
ent, as  were  the  leading  Bishops  of  the  Anglican  com- 
munion throughout  the  rest  of  Asia.  Bishop  Hiraiwa, 
the  Japanese  leader  of  the  United  Methodist  bodies, 
Bishop  Sergius  of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Mission,  to- 
gether with  three  other  delegates  from  the  Greek 
Church  in  Japan,  including  the  editor  of  its  periodical 
and  the  principal  of  its  theological  college,  attended 
the  Japanese  conference.  These  leaders,  both  Japa- 
nese and  foreign,  voted  to  recommend  an  addition 
of  nearly  double  the  force  of  evangelistic  missionaries  ; 
they  called  for  the  establishment  of  a  union  Christian 
university  to  crown  the  Christian  educational  system 
of  Japan,  the  founding  of  a  Christian  college  for 
women,  and  the  cooperation  of  Protestant  Christian 
bodies  in  a  three  years'  united  evangelistic  campaign^ 


200  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

As  in  India  and  China,  a  Continuation  Committee  of 
Japan  was  organized,  with  forty-five  members,  to 
represent  the  various  Japanese  Churches  and  Chris- 
tian  foreign  missionary  societies  of  the  country. 

Drawn  Together  by  the  Spirit.  The  organiza- 
tion of  these  national  committees  will  coordinate  the 
missionary  forces  in  each  field,  and  unite  them  for 
efficient  cooperation  with  the  Continuation  Commit- 
tee of  the  Edinburgh  Conference  at  the  home  base, 
which  draws  together  all  the  Protestant  foreign  mis- 
sionary societies  of  Europe  and  America.  It  was  said 
at  Edinburgh  that  real  unity  of  the  missionary  forces 
on  the  foreign  field  would  be  equivalent  to  doubling 
the  present  force  of  workers.  Is  it  not  evident  that 
we  are  being  drawn  together  at  home  and  abroad 
under  the  unmistakable  guidance  of  God's  Spirit  to- 
ward the  answer  of  that  last  prayer  of  our  Lord  "  that 
they  may  all  be  one  .  .  .  that  the  world  may  believe 
that  thou  didst  send  me?  " 

Divine  Preparation  for  an  Advance.  Thus  we 
see  that  God  has  been  working  to  prepare  the  East- 
ern nations  politically,  economically,  and  religiously 
for  a  new  era,  and  at  the  same  time  he  has  been  pre- 
paring the  Christian  forces  at  the  home  base  to  take 
advantage  of  this  unprecedented  opportunity  in  order 
that  we  may  "  go  up  and  possess  the  land."  **  All 
things  are  now  ready."  What  then  is  the  need  of 
the  hour,  and  what  is  our  duty  as  we  face  this  new 
era  in  world  missions? 

Call  for  Men  and  Fair  Play.  There  is  a  call  for 
men  to-day.    The  present  force  is  utterly  inadequate. 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  201 

We  do  not  agree  with  many  of  the  mechanical  and 
numerical  calculations  which  call  for  an  impossible 
number  of  men,  but  all  will  agree  that  there  is  need 
at  least  speedily  to  double  our  forces  abroad.  At 
the  moment  of  writing  the  eye  of  the  writer  falls  on 
a  letter  just  received  from  the  head  of  one  of  the 
leading  educational  institutions  of  North  America^ 
who  has  recently  returned  from  a  trip  through  the 
Orient.  Writing  with  deep  feeling,  he  says :  "  Were 
I  ten  years  younger  China  would  have  the  call  on 
my  services.  She  is  just  now  in  a  remarkable  con- 
dition, one  that  tends  to  rouse  the  fighting  spirit  of 
any  red-blooded  man  who  believes  in  fair  play.  My 
blood  was  boiling  most  of  the  time  as  I  witnessed 
with  my  own  eyes  the  prostitution  to  selfish  and  sor- 
did ends  of  our  vaunted  Western  civilization,  by  the 
Western  business  man,  politician,  and  adventurer. 
What  can  we  do  to  wipe  out  that  blot,  and  give  the 
Chinese  at  least  a  fair  field  in  which  to  wage  their 
fight  for  the  higher  life?"  Many  college  presidents, 
pastors,  and  leaders  in  the  home  field  are  saying  the 
same  to-day. 

Summons  to  Younger  Workers.  But  there  are 
others  who  are  still  young.  There  are  students  who 
have  not  yet  decided  their  life-work.  This  call  comes 
to  you.  Why  should  you  go  abroad?  First  of  all,  is 
there  not  a  greater  need  in  the  foreign  field?  Re- 
member that  half  the  world  has  never  yet  heard  of 
Christ.  And  how  does  that  other  half  live?  That  is 
the  half  that  is  poor  to-day.  The  average  income 
throughout  India,  China,  and  the  poorer  nations  of 


202  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Asia  is  not  over  ten  cents  per  day  per  capita.  Famine 
raises  its  gaunt  form  almost  every  year  in  these  non- 
Christian  lands.  Forty  millions  go  to  sleep  every 
night  in  India  hungry,  upon  a  mud  floor,  and  many 
are  dying  in  the  perennial  famines  in  China.  But 
the  physical  famine  is  but  a  faint  and  feeble  outward 
symbol  of  the  deeper  spiritual  poverty  of  these  lands. 
Half  the  world  is  without  any  medical  knowledge 
worthy  of  the  name.  Roughly  about  half  the  world 
to-day  is  without  education,  and  cannot  read  or  write 
in  any  language.  Half  the  world  is  without  the  social 
rights  of  manhood,  womanhood,  or  childhood.  And 
is  it  a  mere  coincidence  that  this  section  of  the  world 
is  the  half  that  is  without  Christ?  There  is  need  at 
home,  but  can  you  name  any  need  here  that  is  not 
x)nly  equaled  but  multiplied  many-fold  abroad  ?  There 
is  the  need  of  the  city  slum  and  the  country  district, 
but  there  are  Protestant  church-members  in  America 
to  meet  that  need.  Rouse  your  imagination  to  face 
these  two  hemispheres  of  the  East  and  of  the  West  as 
God  must  see  them.  Of  every  thousand  Christians, 
we  send  less  than  one  to  that  other  half  that  is  poor, 
sick,  ignorant  and  without  the  Christian  gospel ;  while 
more  than  999  out  of  every  thousand  remain  here  at 
home. 

Great  Opportunities.  Not  only  is  there  a  greater 
need  abroad,  but  there  is  also  a  greater  opportunity. 
The  average  foreign  missionary,  despite  the  lack  of 
backing  we  give  him,  wins  several  times  more  con- 
verts than  the  average  Christian  worker  at  home. 
Think  of  the  opportimity  before  you  abroad.     We 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  203 

are  dealing  with  continents.  It  is  ours  to  uplift 
nations,  to  mold  new  societies,  to  build  a  new  hu- 
manity, and  to  lay  foundations  where  no  other  man 
has  labored.  Think  of  the  opportunity  of  the  scholar 
and  of  the  apologist  to-day!  We  still  need  men  like 
Carey,  who,  with  his  fellow  workers,  bequeathed  the 
gospel  in  forty  languages  to  millions;  or  Morrison, 
who  made  the  Scriptures  accessible  to  one  quarter  of 
the  human  race.  A  new  apologetic  literature  awaits 
creation  in  these  awakening  and  intellectual  nations 
of  the  Orient.  Think  of  the  opportunity  of  the  evan- 
gelist !  The  writer  recalls  three  of  his  friends  in  India, 
each  of  whom  had  the  care  of  a  parish  containing  more 
than  20,000  Christians,  and  the  guidance  of,  and 
friendly  cooperation  with,  more  than  300  native  work- 
ers. In  northern  Bengal  each  missionary  has  a  parish 
of  some  two  million  souls.  The  writer  recalls  that  in 
his  own  field  in  India  there  were  more  than  fifty 
churches  and  as  many  schools,  some  5,000  Christians, 
and  nearly  half  a  million  non-Christians  to  evangelize, 
with  a  force  of  a  hundred  workers,  with  whom  it  was 
a  joy  and  a  privilege  to  labor. 

Fields  for  Medical  Work.  Think  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  the  Christian  doctor.  Many  a  medical  man 
in  Asia  to-day  is  handling  major  operations,  and 
treating  through  his  native  fellow  workers  the  sick 
and  suffering  of  a  district  of  more  than  five  millions 
of  people,  who  have  no  other  trained  physician  to 
whom  they  can  go  for  relief.  Think  of  the  privilege 
of  the  union  medical  colleges  of  China  to-day,  which 
will  train  hundreds  of  Chinese  Christian  physicians, 


204  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

and  give  a  new  scientific  medicine  to  one  fourth  of 
the  human  race! 

Openings  for  Christian  Teachers.  Think  of  the 
opening  before  the  Christian  teacher  who  can  lead 
these  bright  and  inquiring  minds  to  the  truth,  under 
the  powerful  influence  that  every  teacher  of  character 
possesses  over  the  Oriental  mind.  Or  measure  the 
opportunity  in  student  work  in  this  awakening  con- 
tinent of  Asia  to-day.  Think  of  those  bright  minds 
in  the  Imperial  University  of  Japan,  darkened  by  the 
shadows  of  atheism,  agnosticism,  or  materiaHsm;  or 
those  thousands  of  government  students  in  China 
to-day,  so  open  and  eager  and  responsive !  Even  as 
we  go  to  press  the  last  letter  from  China  brings 
news  of  nearly  a  thousand  of  these  inquirers  from  the 
recent  campaign  already  baptized  or  received  into  the 
Christian  Church  on  probation.  Think  of  the  30,000 
university  and  professional  students  of  that  great  in- 
tellectual land  of  India,  with  its  splendid  systems  of 
philosophy  and  its  ancient  faiths.  The  students  will 
lead  Asia  for  Christ  or  against  him,  for  a  civilization 
that  will  be  either  spiritual  or  material,  Christian  or 
anti-Christian,  for  Mammon  or  for  God. 

Forestalling  Peril.  Were  this  opportunity  neg- 
lected or  spurned,  it  would  mean  more  than  a  yellow 
peril,  it  would  be  an  Asiatic  peril,  the  danger  of  a 
great  material  civilization,  armed  with  all  the  enginery 
of  war  and  unchecked  by  Christian  principles.  Or, 
to  change  the  figure,  the  sins  of  these  men  could  be- 
come a  virus  to  poison  the  very  springs  of  life,  not 
only  in  the  East  but  in  the  West  as  well. 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  205 

Facing  the  Need.  If  the  choice  of  your  hfe-work 
lies  still  before  you,  face  this  need  abroad ;  realize  this 
overwhelming  opportunity,  and  ask  yourself  if  the 
presumption  is  not  in  favor  of  the  greater  need  and 
the  greater  opportunity.  Confronted  by  such  condi- 
tions, a  deepening  sense  of  duty  is  the  guidance  of  God. 
And  may  that  joyful  experience  come  to  many  a 
man.  For  here  is  the  greatest  call  for  men  and  women 
in  all  the  world  to-day. 

The  Call  for  Money.  The  new  era  in  world  mis- 
sions constitutes  also  a  call  for  money.  In  the  provi- 
dence of  God  a  few  workers  at  the  front  are  not 
allowed  the  entire  blessing  of  winning  the  world  in  the 
pouring  out  of  sacrifice  and  life.  Only  as  the  whole 
Church  cooperates  can  this  work  be  done.  God  has 
made  these  workers  at  the  front  dependent  upon  those 
at  home  for  support  by  finances  and  by  prayer. 
What  is  there  but  the  great  missionary  movement 
abroad  and  the  social  needs  at  home  that  can  save  the 
Church  in  this  age  of  materialism  and  of  rapidly  in- 
creasing wealth?  One  thousandth  part  of  the  annual 
increase  in  the  wealth  of  the  Christians  of  the  United 
States  would  furnish  all  the  money  that  is  needed  to 
carry  on  the  entire  foreign  missionary  enterprise. 
Even  to  support  the  maximum  number  of  mission- 
aries that  are  asked  for  by  the  most  advanced  plans 
of  to-day  would  require  a  gift  of  only  $2.50  per  year, 
or  one  carfare  a  week,  from  the  average  church- 
member.  But  the  fact  that  so  many  are  not  con- 
tributing anything  places  a  double  burden  of  responsi- 
bility for  sacrifice  upon  the  few  who  have  caught  the 


2o6  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

vision  and  who  know  the  facts.  Our  present  giving 
is  pitifully  inadequate  for  the  winning  of  Asia,  or  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  new  era  in  world  missions. 
In  one  city  the  writer  found  a  man  who  was  laying 
up  $6,000,000  a  year  in  profits,  but  he  refused  to  give 
a  penny  to  any  object  at  home  or  abroad.  No  human 
need  appeals  to  him. 

Repudiated  Obligation.  A  prominent  minister 
pointed  out  that  in  a  recent  daily  paper  the  will  trans- 
mitting one  of  the  largest  fortunes  of  the  United  States 
left  not  one  penny  to  charity,  to  missions,  or  to  the 
needs  of  men,  while  side  by  side  with  this  there  was 
the  statement  that  the  flag  of  the  country  had  been 
trampled  down  by  socialists  in  their  bitter  cry  against 
the  grasping  of  wealth  unjustly  hoarded.  Is  there  no 
connection  between  these  two  facts? 

True  Stewardship.  It  is  easy  for  all  of  us  to 
point  out  prominent  public  men  who  we  think  ought 
to  give  more,  and  to  say  how  much  good  they  could  do 
if  they  would  only  use  their  wealth,  but  the  same  prin- 
ciple applies  to  each  one  of  us.  How  many  of  us  have 
thoughtfully  and  prayerfully  faced  the  question  of  our 
stewardship?  What  proportion  of  your  income  did 
you  give  last  year  to  the  advancement  of  God's  king- 
dom, and  what  proportion  did  you  spend  upon  your- 
self? Do  you  give  prayerfully,  gladly,  generously? 
Do  you  have  a  plan  of  systematic  and  proportionate 
giving  ?  "  It  is  required  in  stewards  that  a  man  be 
found  faithful."  How  many  of  us  will  receive  from 
the  Master  the  "  well  done,  good  and  faithful  serv- 
ant "  because  of  the  right  use  of  our  stewardship  ? 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  207 

Poor  yet  Enriching  Many.  The  writer  recalls  a 
poor  girl,  working  in  one  of  the  great  cities  of  this 
country,  who,  not  able  to  go  abroad  herself,  saved 
and  sent  abroad  a  portion  of  her  slender  income  until 
to-day  there  is  a  community  of  over  a  thousand  souls 
in  North  India  who  have  been  gathered  into  the  king- 
dom through  the  native  workers  supported  by  the 
gifts  of  this  one  poor  girl. 

Lines  of  Personal  Support.  How  many  of  these 
people  in  Asia  have  you  and  I  helped  ?  In  many  dis- 
tricts $3  a  month  will  support  a  native  teacher;  $12 
a  year  will  educate  a  boy  in  a  boarding-school;  $20 
will  build  a  small  school  or  church;  $30  to  $50  will 
support  a  native  worker  for  a  year.  This  does  not 
mean  that  you  should  ask  your  missionary  society  to 
assign  you  a  particular  pupil,  or  request  an  over- 
worked missionary  to  lay  aside  his  important  duties 
to  correspond  with  you  about  some  particular  native 
worker.  This  would  greatly  increase  the  cost  of  the 
administration  of  your  own  board  and  it  would  take 
the  time  of  both  native  workers  and  foreign  mission- 
aries from  the  great  work  to  which  they  have  set  their 
hands.  But  it  does  mean  that  every  dollar  counts, 
that  your  board  is  carrying  on  just  such  work,  and 
that  every  cent  you  save  and  send  will  be  used  in  the 
wisest  way  for  the  expansion  of  the  kingdom  and  the 
meeting  of  the  present  crisis  in  Asia. 

Fruit  from  Larger  Sums.  To  educate  a  young 
man  in  an  expensive  college  in  this  country  would 
cost  perhaps  $4,000  for  a  full  college  course.  That 
5um  will  meet  the  deficit  and  run  an  entire  mission 


2o8  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

college  in  parts  of  the  East  for  a  year,  helping  to 
instruct  several  hundred  Christian  students  and  as 
many  non-Christians,  supporting  a  college  which  is 
a  center  of  light  and  influence  in  a  large  district 
numbering  several  million  of  inhabitants.  Do  not 
fear  that  your  money  will  be  wasted.  The  cost  of 
administration  of  the  various  mission  boards  varies 
from  three  to  twelve  per  cent.,  which  is  a  bet- 
ter percentage  than  most  of  our  great  industrial 
corporations  at  home.  For  the  writer's  own  mission 
station  in  India  the  board  appropriated  only  about 
$1,300  annually.  This  would  pay  the  salary  of  one 
worker  in  this  country,  but  in  India  it  was  expected 
to  pay  the  salary  of  thirty  native  workers,  to  run  a 
boarding-school,  fifteen  day-schools,  thirty  congrega- 
tions, struggling  toward  self-support,  and  carry  on 
evangelistic  work  among  thousands  of  non-Christians. 
A  little  calculation  will  show  how  much  room  there 
was  for  waste  or  extravagance  upon  a  budget  of  this 
amount. 

"  Work  Enough."  There  are  still  those  who  make 
the  threadbare  and  outworn  excuse  that  they  "  do  not 
believe  in  foreign  missions."  But  again  let  us  ask, 
where  would  we  have  been  without  foreign  missions? 
There  are  some  who  tell  us  that  there  is  "  work 
enough  at  home."  So  there  is,  but  work  enough  for 
what?  Work  enough  to  make  us  blush  that  we  our- 
selves have  done  so  little.  Yes,  work  enough  to  make 
us  resolve,  here  and  now,  to  do  more.  But  work 
enough  to  make  us  neglect  the  great  command  of 
Christ  and  the  need  of  half  the  human  race  when  we 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  209 

have  men  and  money  enough  to  give  the  whole  world 
the  gospel?     Never. 

A  Call  to  Prayer.  The  new  era  in  world  missions 
is  above  all  a  call  to  prayer.  The  Edinburgh  Confer- 
ence, representing  the  leaders  of  all  the  forces  of 
Protestant  Christendom,  set  apart  the  best  portion  of 
the  day  for  the  great  ministry  of  intercession,  placing 
prayer  above  work  in  its  potency  and  power.  In  the 
report  of  their  commission  on  the  Home  Base  they 
summon  the  Church  to  a  new  ministry  of  inter- 
cession. 

Voice  of  Edinburgh  Conference.  This  conviction 
was  voiced  by  the  Edinburgh  Conference  as  follows: 
"  No  thoughtful  reader  of  the  Gospels  can  fail  to 
recognize  the  preeminent  place  which  Jesus  Christ 
gave  to  prayer,  both  in  his  teaching  and  in  the  prac- 
tise of  his  own  life.  The  greatest  leaders  of  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise  have  been  men  of  prayer. 
The  volume  of  testimony  is  overwhelmingly  that 
'  Prayer  is  power ;  the  place  of  prayer  is  the  place 
of  power;  the  man  of  prayer  is  the  man  of 
power.' 

Conditions  Call  for  Prayer.  "  The  need  of  prayer 
for  missions  is  evident  when  we  give  thought  to  the 
circumstances  under  which  missionary  work  is  car- 
ried on.  Were  missionaries  to  go  forth,  a  company 
of  strangers  and  foreigners,  to  ask  the  peoples  of 
Asia  and  Africa  to  change  some  habit  of  dress  or 
social  custom  their  task  might  seem  almost  impos- 
sible. How  infinitely  more  difficult  it  is  to  ask  these 
peoples  to  accept  a  teaching  that  will  revolutionize 


210  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

their  whole  life!  There  is  nothing  magical  in  the 
crossing  of  the  seas  that  renders  missionaries  immune 
from  the  temptations,  the  weaknesses  of  character,  the 
unbelief  that  deadens  the  life  of  the  Church  that  sends 
them  forth.  The  project  might  well  seem  hopeless, 
unless  we  believed  in  the  spiritual  resource  of  prayer. 
The  neglect  of  prayer  by  the  Church  at  home  means 
defeat  at  the  front  of  the  battle. 

Testing  the  Divine  Resources.  "  The  call  that  is 
most  urgent  and  most  insistent  is  that  Christian  men 
and  women  should  deeply  resolve  to  venture  out  and 
make  trial  of  the  unexplored  depths  of  the  character 
and  resources  of  God.  The  missionary  enterprise  has 
led  many  adventurous  spirits  to  explore  unknown 
territories  and  tread  unbeaten  paths.  The  same  spirit 
of  adventure  is  needed  to  discover  the  wealth  and 
resources  of  life  in  God.  The  work  of  evangelization 
must  wait  until  Christian  people  resolutely  set  them- 
selves to  put  to  proof  the  availability  of  God  for  faith. 
Many  who  cannot  go  to  the  mission  field  may  have  a 
real  share  in  the  missionary  labors  of  the  Church  if 
they  will  give  themselves  to  the  mighty  ministry  of 
prayer. 

Applies  Vital  Energy.  "  Prayer  is  the  putting  forth 
of  vital  energy.  It  is  the  highest  effort  of  which  the 
human  spirit  is  capable.  Proficiency  and  power  in 
prayer  cannot  be  attained  without  patient  continuance 
and  much  practise.  The  primary  need  is  not  the  mul- 
tiplication of  prayer-meetings,  or  the  more  extensive 
circulation  of  prayer  calendars,  but  that  individual 
Christians  should  learn  to  pray.     If  this  work  is  to 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  211 

be  taken  seriously,  the  hour  of  prayer  must  be  defi- 
nitely set  apart  and  jealously  guarded  in  spite  of  weari- 
ness and  many  distractions.  When  the  Church  sets 
itself  to  pray  with  the  same  seriousness  and  strength 
of  purpose  that  it  has  devoted  to  other  forms  of 
Christian  effort,  it  will  see  the  kingdom  of  God  come 
with  power."  ^ 

Spiritual  Energies  Essential.  Men  may  go  to  the 
field  and  do  a  certain  amount  of  work.  Money  can 
feed  the  starving  body  and  buy  bread.  But  the  ulti- 
mate issue  in  the  regeneration  of  these  countries  is 
spiritual.  Those  who  have  taken  part  in  this  great 
spiritual  conflict  in  the  East  have  found  a  deeper 
meaning  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  "  We 
wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood."  Our  work  is 
supernatural  or  it  is  nothing.  Frankly,  our  work  is 
humanly  impossible  if  we  cannot  wield  supernatural 
forces.  To  grapple  with  subtle  and  ancient  systems 
of  philosophy,  with  hoary  traditions,  with  age-long 
prejudices,  with  religions  deep-rooted  and  intertwined 
with  the  most  precious  traditions  in  the  lives  of  na- 
tions; to  change  the  currents  of  history,  the  nature  of 
the  human  heart;  to  regenerate  society,  to  uplift 
countries  and  continents,  this,  surely  is  no  mere 
human  undertaking.  Though  humanly  impossible, 
in  the  light  of  God's  promises,  in  the  power  of 
his  presence,  and  in  the  perspective  of  past  achieve- 
ments, it  is  gloriously  possible.  We  can  do  it  if  we 
will. 

1  The  Home  Base,  Chapter  I,  Commission  VI,  of  the  World's 
Misssionary  Conference  at  Edinburgh. 


212  The  New  Era  in  Asia 

Appeal  of  Past  Results.  The  very  victories  we 
have  already  won  constitute  a  call  from  the  triumphs 
of  the  past.  Think  of  what  we  have  already  accom- 
plished in  the  century  that  lies  behind  us.  A  hun- 
dred years  ago  there  were  less  than  a  hundred  mis- 
sionaries on  the  field.  To-day  there  are  more  than 
24,000.  Then  the  Bible  was  translated  into  some  65 
languages ;  now  it  is  placed  within  the  reach  of  peoples 
speaking  500  tongues  and  dialects,  and  made  accessible 
to  more  than  800,000,000  of  the  human  race.  A  hun- 
dred years  ago  there  was  not  a  medical  missionary  nor 
missionary  hospital  in  the  world,  and  more  than  two 
thirds  of  the  world  was  without  any  adequate  medical 
knowledge;  to-day  there  are  more  than  675  hospitals 
treating  annually  many  millions  of  patients.  A  cen- 
tury ago  there  was  but  a  little  handful  of  mission 
schools.  To-day  there  are  nearly  30,000  mission 
schools  and  colleges,  educating  more  than  a  million 
and  a  half  students  in  the  great  centers  of  the  non- 
Christian  world. 

Appeal  of  Present  Progress.  A  century  ago  there 
was  not  a  professing  Protestant  Christian  in  Japan; 
not  one  in  Korea;  less  than  ten  in  the  Chinese  em- 
pire, and  a  few  thousands  in  India.  To-day  there 
is  a  Protestant  Christian  community  of  some  90,000 
adherents  in  Japan,  200,000  in  Korea,  nearly  a  million 
in  China,  and  1,617,000  in  India.  In  India  the  Prot- 
estant, native  Christian  community  is  gaining  about 
50  per  cent,  every  ten  years.  It  is  doubling  about 
every  decade  in  China,  while  nearly  a  convert  an 
hour  has  been  added  every  day  in  Korea  since  the 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  213 

first  missionary  landed.  We  follow  a  Leader  who  has 
never  known  defeat.  According  to  Mr.  J.  Campbell 
White  it  took  nearly  a  century  to  win  the  first  million 
Protestant  Christians  on  the  foreign  field.  The  sec- 
ond million  were  won  in  about  twelve  years,  and  it 
is  taking  but  six  years  to  win  the  third  million.  An 
average  of  nine  hundred  Christians  are  being  added 
every  day  throughout  the  non-Christian  world.  Dur- 
ing the  last  year  more  than  6,536  communicants  were 
added  every  week  to  the  Church  abroad,  and  over 
22,000  Christian  adherents.  To-day,  with  about  six 
million  Protestant  Christian  communicants  and  adher- 
ents, abroad,  at  the  present  rate  of  increase  we  shall 
be  adding  within  a  decade  a  million  every  year  to  the 
Protestant  constituency  abroad.  As  Dr.  H.  Clay 
Trumbull  has  said,  it  is  our  duty  to  make  the  past  a 
success :  the  price  already  paid,  the  lives  laid  down, 
the  noble  sacrifices  that  have  been  made,  the  martyrs 
that  have  died,  and  the  triumphs  already  won  by  the 
great  army  of  24,000  missionaries  and  112,000  native 
workers  at  the  front  challenge  us  to  a  greater  advance 
than  in  any  previous  era. 

Call  to  Win  Half  a  World.  The  Church  is  facing 
to-day  the  need  of  more  than  half  the  human  race. 
No  pen  can  describe  it,  no  heart  can  grasp  or  fathom 
that  great  ocean  of  need;  no  imagination  can  picture 
it,  no  tongue  can  tell  it.  There  is  a  continent  of  need 
embracing  nations  newly  awakened,  which  can  be 
molded  to-day.  And  here  are  we,  young,  strong,  and 
free  to  give  our  lives,  our  gifts,  our  prayer,  all  that 
we  have  and  are,  to  the  greatest  cause  in  the  world. 


214  '^^^  New  Era  In  Asia 

The  call  comes  to  the  West,  to  the  Christian  Church. 
It  comes  to  you  personally  and  individually.  The 
call  is  before  you.  What  will  your  answer  be?  It 
combines  the  challenge  of  a  great  need  and  the  call 
of  an  overwhelming  opportunity.  Of  that  need  Pro- 
fessor Paul  Reinsch  says,  ''  Humanity  in  the  Orient, 
overpowered  by  destiny  in  the  shape  of  natural 
catastrophe,  famine,  pestilence,  and  war,  has  not  yet 
found  itself ;  "  and  of  the  opportunity  he  writes,  "  The 
unfolding  of  dynamic  forces,  acting  upon  such  a  vast 
basis,  and  with  such  an  intricate  background  of  civiliza- 
tion, has  never  been  witnessed  before  in  the  remembered 
history  of  our  world."  ^  Dr.  Mott  has  not  overstated 
the  matter  when  he  writes :  "  The  situation  thus  pre- 
sented to  the  Christian  Church  is  unprecedented  in 
opportunity,  in  danger,  and  in  urgency.  This  is  the 
greatest  single  fact  to  be  pressed  upon  the  mind  and 
conscience  and  will  of  Christendom." 

Who  Makes  the  Plea?  The  facts  are  before  us; 
and  we  are  witnesses  of  these  things.  Nay  rather, 
these  people  are  before  us ;  men  and  women  with  the 
same  possibilities,  the  same  human  hopes  and  fears, 
the  same  longings  and  aspirations,  the  same  worth  and 
reality  of  life  that  we  ourselves  possess.  They  are 
laid  at  our  gate,  and  we  could  help  them  if  we  would. 
We  have  what  they  need ;  can  we  withhold  it  ?  They 
have  no  articulate  voice  or  cry.  It  is  Another  that 
pleads  for  them.    "  I  was  an  hungered :  I  was  thirsty : 

"^•Intellectual  and  Political  Currents  in  the  Far  East, 
i6,  187. 


The  New  Era  in  World  Missions  215 

I  was  a  stranger ;  naked :  I  was  sick :  I  was  in  prison. 
.  .  .  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it 
unto  these  my  brethren,  even  these  least,  ye  did  it 
unto  me." 

"  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me  ?     Feed  my 
sheep/' 


COMMERCIAL  EXPANSION  OF  THE  NON-CHRISTIAN  WORLD 

SHOWINQ  RAILWAYS  EXISTING  AND  PROJECTED 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abdul  Hamid  II,  170,  173; 
deposed,  176;  opens  Parlia- 
ment, 175 

Achievements  of  Japan,  34-37 

Adana  atrocities,  176 

Agriculture  in  India,  146,  148 

Aintab,  185 

Aligarh  College  and  Move- 
ment, 155 

All  India  Student  Conference, 

159 

All  the  World,  6 

American  Board,  pamphlet  on 

the  Balkan  war,  177;  work 

in  Turkey,  180,  183,  184 
American    College    for    Girls 
•   at  Constantinople,  181,  184 
American        missions        and 

schools,    in    India,    156;    in 

Turkey,  181-183 
America's    baneful    gifts    to 

China,   no 
Anatolia  College,  185 
Ancestor-worship,  41 
Appeal  of  missions,  from  past 

results,   211;    from   present 

progress,  212 
Area      and      population      of 

China,  87 
Arisaka  gun,  the,  35 
Armenian  atrocities,  170,   176 
Armenians  in  Robert  College, 

184,   185 
Arnold  of  China,  the,  121 
Arya  Samaj,  the,  153,  154,  159 


Aryan  race,  179 

Asia,       economic       advance, 

causes    of,    17;    intellectual 

awaking,     14;     renaissance, 

xiii,  5 
Athens,    186;    University   of, 

187 
Athletes,  Greek,  187 
Atrocities,  170,  176 
Audience  in  Foochow,  an,  25 
Autonomy     in     the      Indian 

church,  157 
Azariah,  Rev.   Bishop  V.  S., 

157,    159,    160 


B 


Balkan  States,  improved  out- 
look for,  186 

Balkan  war,  causes  of,  177; 
in  prospect,  185;  results, 
178 

Banerjea,  Mr.  P.,  work  re- 
ferred to,  140,  147 

Baptism  of  converts  in  the 
Hooghly,  160 

Baptist  Missionary  Society, 
193 

Barton,  Dr.  James  L.,  quoted, 
167 

Battle  cries  of  Indian  na- 
tionalism, 143 

Beach,  Harlan  P.,  xiv,  184 

Beirut,  184;  press,  17 

Benares,  Hindu  college  at,  155 

Bengal,    147 

Besant,  Mrs.  Annie,  155 


219 


220 


Index 


Bible,  classes,  24,  2^,  71,  127, 
188,    189;    portions   sold   in 
China,    17;    societies,    129; 
translated,  91 ;  Gospel  read- 
ing and  study  by  inquirers, 
24,  27,  92,  158 
Blue  blood  of  the  East,   131 
Boaz,  Franz,  quoted,  13 
Books,  new,  in  Japan,  14 
Boone   College  in  Wuchang, 

133 
Boxer  war,  China  before  the, 

11;   leading  causes  of,  98; 

indemnity  money,  95 
Bradlaugh  Hall,  158 
Brahman  converts,  160 
Brahmo  Samaj,  154,  159 
Break-up  of  China,  The,  100 
British,  missions  and  schools 

in  India,  156;  rule  in  India, 

143-149 

Bryce,  James,  quoted,  on  mis- 
sions in  Turkey,  183 

Buddhism,  40 

Bulgarian  military  students  in 
Sofia,  185;  other  students 
in  Robert  College,  184,  185 

Burton,  Professor  Ernest  D., 
quoted,  11 


Calcutta,  17,  159 

Call,    for    men,    200;    money, 

205;  prayer,  209 
Canton,  90;  meetings  in,  92 
Canton      Christian      College, 

^33  .    ,       . 

Carey,  William,  16;  baptisms 

by,  159,  160,  193,  203 
Carnegie  of  China,  the,  116 
Caste,  22,  141-143 
Causes  of  changes  in  China, 

97-100 


Census  of  India  unique,  151 

Ceylon  tea,  146 

Chang  Po-ling,  121-125;  his 
church  at  Tientsin,  124 

Charter  oath,  Japan's,  Z3 

Chester,  Rear  Admiral,  183 

Chicago  of  China,  18 

Chihli,  121 

Child  labor  in  Japan,  38 

China,  changed  conditions  in^ 
II,  12,  87-97;  coal  deposits, 
18;  converts,  91-93,  118; 
defeats  by  Japan  and 
Western  powers,  100;  early 
inventions  and  scholars, 
109 ;  finances,  106 ;  flag,  25  j 
international  relations,  107; 
iron  and  steel  works,  116; 
opium  and  other  reforms,, 
21,  no;  problems,  104,  iii; 
provinces  and  dependencies,. 
107;  request  for  prayer, 
103 ;  resources,  19 ;  widely 
opened  door  of  access,  115,. 
129,  134,  135;  work  and 
converts  in  Western  prov- 
inces, 181 ;  Young  China 
Party,  100 

China  Inland  Mission,  128 

China  Year  Book,  quoted,  19' 

Chinese  dictionary,  Dr.  Mor- 
rison's, 91 

Chirol,  Dr.  Valentine,  quoted, 

143 
Chota  Nagpur,  152 
Christ.    See  Jesus  Christ. 
Christian    Church    in    Japan, 

49,  51,  53 
Christian  message,  interest  in, 

23,  24  . 

Christian  Movement  in  Japan^ 

The,  1912,  49 
Christian  schools,  for  Turkey,. 

181-185;    a    junior    college 

and  a  university  required  at 


Index 


221 


Tokyo,  48 ;  university  need- 
ed for  Korea,  75.  See  also 
Educational  advance. 

Christian  work  wins  confi- 
dence, 117 

Christianity's,  Port  Arthur, 
55;  uplifting  influence,  5, 
49-53,  68-70,  102,  149-151, 
174,  183,  202 

Church,  native,  in  China,  128- 
133;  in  India,  I55-I57;  in 
Japan,  49,  50;  in  Korea, 
69-77;  in  Turkey,  183 

Cities,  changes  in  those  of 
China,  96,  97 

Civilization,  different  forms 
of,  13,  140 

Clement  and  Fisher  pamphlet 
on  Japan,  48 

Coal  in  China,  18 

College  in  Tientsin,  124 

Columbus  and  the  Renais- 
sance, 7 

"  Committee  of  Union  and 
Progress,  The,"  in  Turkey, 

174 
Confucianism,  26,  39,  40 ;  fine 

precepts,    loS;    inadequacy 

of,  94,  98 
"  Confucio-Christianity,"    130 
Constantinople,    166-168,    175, 

183,   185 
Continuation  Committee,  the, 

75,  196-200 
Control  of  the  Tropics,  148 
Conversions,    24,    27,    28,    70, 

72,  91-93,  122-125,  152,  153; 

in  a  Korean  prison,  79-82 
Copernican  system,  7 
Cotton   and   hides   as   Indian 

exports,  147 
Cromer,  Lord,  171,  172 
Cue     being     relinquished     in 

China,  11 
Curzon,  Lord,  88,  172 


"  Danger    zone    of     Europe, 

the,"  189 
Dayanand,  Swami,   154 
Daybreak  in  Turkey,  167 
Death-rate  in  India,  149 
Debt,  China's,  19 
Demon   belief   in   Korea,   68, 

69 
Despotism,    former    sway   of, 

in  China,  93;  in  Korea,  60, 

61 ;  in  Turkey,  169-171 
Ding  Li-mei,  Pastor,  130 
Doshisha  University,  54 
Doughty,  Mr.  W.  E.,  195 


Eastern  Inner  Mongolia,   107 
Eclectic     systems     attempted 

in  India,  154 
Economic     factor,     in     Asia, 
17-20;  in  China,  18,  19,  106; 
in  India,  20,   140,  141,  146- 
148;  in  Japan,  17,  18,  35,  38; 
in    Korea,    61-65 ;    in    the 
Philippines,  17;  in  Turkey, 
171 
Edinburgh    Missionary    Con- 
ference,  193 ;  unification  at 
the,  195,  196 
Educational        advance,       in 
China,   14-16;   in  India,   16, 
140,   145;  in  Japan,   14,  34, 
35,    48;    in    Korea,    64,    66, 
75;   in  the   Philippines,    15, 
16;  in  Turkey,  181,  183-185 
Emergency  in  China,  The,  94 
Empress  dowager,  93,  98 
English  language   a  unifying 

factor  in  India,  144 
Envoys    to    China,    old-time, 
115 


222 


Index 


Euphrates  College  at  Har- 
poot,  184 

Europe's  renaissance  a  five- 
fold transformation,  6-8 

Evangelistic  meetings,  17, 
26-28,  71,  117,  118,  124,  127, 
128,  157-159 

Expenses  in  the  mission  field, 
207 


Faber,  Dr.,  94 

Factories  at  Calcutta  and 
Osaka,  17 

Fahs,   Charles  H.,  xiv 

Famine  relief,  150 

Farmers  of  Forty  Centuries, 
by  King,  referred  to,  148 

Finances,  China's,  106 

Fisher,  Galen  M.,  xiv,  45,  48 

Five  factors  in  the  Renais- 
sance, 6.  See  also  Econom- 
ic factor,  etc.  Five  head- 
ings, 26;  subjects,  159 

Foochow,  2Z\  demonstration 
in,  24-28 

Foot-binding,  21 

"  Foreign  devils,"  26 

Foreign  missions  in  the 
world's  work,  208 

Formative  period  of  Asia,  29 

Foster,  Hon.  John  W.,  on 
China's  resources,  19 

Fuller,  Sir  Bampfylde,  148 


Gale,  Mr.,  quoted,  on  Korean 

government,  61 
Galileo  and  the  Renaissance,  7 
Gambling    evil    abolished    in 

Canton,  21 
Geisha  girls,  39 


Gifts  to  foreign  missions,  an- 
nual total,  195 

Giles,  Mr.  H.  A.,  of  Cam- 
bridge, quoted,  105 

Gladstone,  W.  E.,  170,  183 

God,  4,  5,  10,  50,  51,  80,  91, 
126;  Fatherhood  of,  22,  50, 
98;  mighty  works,  134 

Gokhale,  Mr.,  150 

Gore,  Bishop,  10 

Gospel  words,  three  great,  4 

Gotama,  40 

Great  Wall,  109 

"  Greater  Renaissance,  The," 
6 

Greece,  work  among  students 
in,   187 

Greek  Church,  53,  185 

Greeks  in  Robert  College, 
184,  185 

Greene,  Joseph  K.,  xiv;  on 
the  causes  of  the  Balkan 
war,   177 

Gutenberg,  16 


H 


Hague  commissioners  and 
the  Koreans,  63 

Hall,  Dr.,  69 

Hangchow,  Y.  M.  C  A.  de- 
sired in,  116 

Hangyang  iron  and  steel 
works,   18 

Harada,  President,  quoted,  54 

Harpoot,  184 

Hart,  Sir  Robert,  95 

Haystack  prayer-meeting,  193 

Hearn,  Lafcadio,  quoted,  41 

Hellespont,  the,  3 

Henderson,  Professor,  20, 
150 

Hibbert  Journal,  The,  quoted, 
105 


Index 


223 


Hides  from  India,  147 
Hinduism,  22,  142 
Home  Base,  The,  211 
Hooghly,  converts  baptized  in 

the,   160 
Hopkins,    Professor,    quoted, 


I 


Imperial  Edict  of  China,  14 
Imperial  Gazette,   16 
Imperial    Rescript    of    Japan, 

37 

Impurity,  prevalence  of,  in 
Japan,  39;  removal  efforts, 
51.  52 

Independence  party  of  Korea, 
78 

India,  British  rule,  139,  143, 
144;  Christian  statistics, 
151,  152,  156;  eclectic  sys- 
tems, 154,  155;  education, 
16,  145 ;  effect  of  caste,  141, 
142;  poverty,  140,  141;  re- 
ligious handicap,  142;  self- 
government  aspirations, 
142-144;  trade  and  manu- 
factures, 20,  146-148;  uni- 
fying results  of  missions, 
156,  157 

Intellectual  and  Political  Cur- 
rents in  the  Far  East,  214 

Intellectual  factor,  in  China, 
93,  94,  133;  in  India,  145, 
146 ;  in  Japan,  14,  35 ;  in 
Korea,  65 

International  College  at 
Smyrna,  185 

International  Review  of  Mis- 
sions, 10,  51,  109,  196 

Inventions  and  scholars  of 
ancient  China,   109 

Iron  in  China,  18,  19 

Islam  and  Missions,  161 


Islam.      See     Mohammedan- 
ism. 
Ito,  Prince,  62,  63 


Jacks,  Mr.  L.  P.,  quoted,  105 

Japan,  achievements,  8-14,  34- 
37 ;  Charter  Oath,  9,  33,  49 ; 
Christian  statistics,  49; 
crime,  38;  debt,  38;  defeat 
of  Russia,  100;  defects,  37- 
44;  need  of  missionaries, 
54;  schools,  14;  some 
sources  of  progress,  33,  34; 
three  religions,  39,  41 ;  un- 
developed resources,  38; 
wealth,  35 

Japan,  An  Interpretation,  41 

Japan  Mail,  39 

Japan  Mail  Steamship  Com- 
pany, 35 

"Japan  To-day  and  To-mor- 
row," 48 

Japanese  steamship  lines,  18, 
35 

Jesus  Christ,  4,  5,  10,  39,  55, 
71,  80-82,  159;  decisions  for, 
24,  27,  28,  80-82,  92,  93,  122, 
125,  127;  Foundation,  26, 
27;  Liberator,  51 

Jones,  Dr.  George  Heber, 
quoted,  68 

Jute,  147 


K 


Kato,  Baron,  quoted,  40,  50 
Kidd,  Benjamin,  5,  148 
Kim,  Mr.,  torture  of,  79 
Kirin     Provincial     Assembly, 

117 
Koran,  the,  quoted,  171,  172; 

new  interpretation,  180 


224 


Index 


Korea,  28;  Bible  study  and 
Christian  life  in,  70-73; 
converts,  70,  72,  78-82; 
delegation  to  the  Hague, 
63;  development,  64;  edu- 
cation plans  and  schools, 
64-66;  Independence  Party, 
78 ;  misgovernment,  60-62 ; 
missionaries  to  and  from, 
69,  70 ;  population,  63 ;  re- 
action possible,  74-76;  re- 
ligious problem,  68;  social 
evil,  67 ;  under  foreign 
power,  64;  Western  influ- 
ences, dy 

Korean,  missionary,  the  first, 
70;  prisoners,  78;  traits,  59, 
60 

Kuang  Hsu,  Emperor,  93,  98 


Lahore,  158 

"  Land  of  the  Morning 
Calm,"  62 

"Land  of  Sympathy,"  59 

Laymen's  Missionary  Move- 
ment,   195 

Lefroy,  Bishop,  198 

Legal  procedure  in  China  im- 
proved, 21 ;  in  Japan,  36 

Letters  While  in  Greece,  by 
Byron,  referred  to,  186 

Li  Yuan-hung,  General,  loi, 
117,   120 

Life    and    Labor    in    India, 

Livingstone,    David,    quoted, 

172 
Low  castes,  work  among  the, 

153 
Lucknow   Conference,   report 

referred  to,  161 
Lull,  Raymond,  182 


M 

McDowell,  Bishop  W.  F.^ 
quoted,  39 

Macao,  Dr.  Morrison's  expe- 
rience in,  91 

Macedonia,  177 

Macedonian  call,  3 

Madras,  158;  Conference  in,. 
197,  198 

Magna  Charta  of  Asia,  9 

Manchu  rule,  98,  loi ;  ended,, 
102;  evils  inherited  from, 
105 

Manchuria,  99,  107,  124 

Mar  Dionysius,   197 

Marco  Polo  in  China,  109 

Marsovan,  185 

Martyn,  Henry,  182 

Martyn's  pagoda,  160 

Martyrs,  126;  the  city  of,  125 

Mass  movements  to  Chris- 
tianity, 152,  161 

Medical  work,  fields  for,  205 

Meiji  rifle,  35 

Men  and  Religion  Movement, 
195 

Mencius,  quoted,  108 

Methodist  work  among  the 
lower  castes,  153 

Mind  of  Primitive  Man,  The,. 
13 

Missionary  Education  Move- 
ment, 194 

Missions,  Protestant,  in 
China,  90-93,  128-134;  in 
India,  151-161 ;  in  Japan, 
44-54;  in  Korea,  69-76;  in 
Turkey,  182-185 

Modern  Egypt,  171 

Moffett,  Dr.,  69 

Mohammedanism,  access  to^ 
165;  adherents,  166;  fa- 
vorable features,  172;  un- 
favorable features,  171-174 


Index 


225 


Mongolia,  107 

Moral  consciousness  of  China, 
108 

Morley,  Lord,  144,  148 

Morrison,  Dr.  Robert,  16,  21 ; 
in  Canton,  90;  work  of,  and 
results,  91,  92,  134,  203 

Moslems,  the.  See  Moham- 
medanism. 

Mott,  Dr.  John  R.,  in  Athens, 
187;  in  Canton,  92;  in 
Mukden,  97 ;  in  Shanghai, 
116;  on  Beirut  College,  184; 
on  the  situation  in  Asia, 
214 

Movable  type,  16 

Mukden,  23,  97 

Murray,  Dr.,  34 

Mutsuhito,  Emperor,  9,  33,  49 


N 


National   Congress   of  India, 

158 
National      consciousness     of 

Korea,  64 
National   Missionary  Council 

of  India,  198 
National    Missionary   Society 

of  India,  157 
National   Review,   of    China, 

21 
Nationalism,      the      Orient's 

new,  9,  II,  12 
Near  East,  the,  xiii,  165-189; 

recent  changes  in,  offer  new 

access  to  Mohammedanism, 

165,  166,  180,  181,  189 
Needs  of  the  world,  202 
Neo-Confucianism,  130 
Nestorians,   128 
New  era  in  missions,  193 
New  wine,  old  bottles,  43 
Nitobe,  Dr.,  35,  38,  55 
Nogi,  General,  11 


North  China  Daily  News,  97, 

103 
Northwest   India   Conference 

of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church,  153 


Oda  mine,  35 

Okuma,    Count,    quoted,    43, 

51,  52 
Oldham,    Mr.   J.    H.,    quoted, 

109 
Olga,     Queen,    interested    in 

Bible  work,  187 
Open  door  in  China,  the,  135 
Open    letter    to    the    Sultan 

from  Prince  Sabah-ed-din, 

181 
Opium,  21,  108,  no 
Opportunities       in       foreign 

work,  202-204 
Organic  union  movements  in 

India,  156 
Organizations,        missionary, 

193 
Orthodox  Greek  Church,  185 
Osaka  factories,  17 


Paotingfu,  125,  126;  changes 

in,  127,  128 
Parsee    Theater    in    Madras, 

^58. 
Partition  of  China,  The,  100 
Patrick,  Dr.  Mary,  184 
Patriotism,    development    of, 
in   Oriental   lands,  9-12,  64 
Paul's   first   converts   in   Eu- 
rope, 4 
Peace   of   London,  effect   of, 

174,  178 
Pears,     Sir    Edwin,     quoted, 
169 


226 


Index 


Peking,    students    in,    15,    94, 

95 
Perry's  peaceful   Armada,   8, 

Personal  evangelism,  71,  72, 
80,  122,  125 

Pettus,  W.  B.,  xiv 

Philippines,  educational  ad- 
vance, 15;  trade  of,  17 

Ping  Yang,  battle  of,  69; 
statistics,  70;  ordinations 
and  work  in,  70-72 

Pitkin,  Horace,  a  martyr,  126, 
127 

Political  factor,  in  China,  9, 
II,  87-90,  93,  96-109;  in  In- 
dia, 12,  139,  140,  143,  144; 
in  Japan,  10,  11,  23,  34,  36; 
in  Korea,  12,  60-64;  in 
Persia,  9;  in  the  Philip- 
pines, 12;  in  Turkey,  9, 
165-171,  174-181 

Polygamy,  instance  of,  141 

Port  Arthur,  10 

Pott,  Dr.,  quoted,  100 

Prayer,  24,  69,  70,  90,  122, 
209-211;  national,  request 
for,  102,  103 

Presbyterian  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  126-128,  153, 
183 

Press,  progress  of  the,  16 

Prince  Sabah-ed-din,  open 
letter  to  the  Sultan,  181 

Principles  of  Western  Civi- 
lization, 5 

Prisoners  and  prisons  in 
Korea,  78-82 

Problems  in  China,  104,  129 

Problems  of  the  Far  East,  88 

Progress  in  India,  145 

Protestant  missions.  See 
Missions,  Protestant. 

Ptolemaic  system,  7 

Punjab,  the,  152 


Purity     work,     Baron     Kato 
quoted  on  Christian,  50 

Q 

Quinquennial  Review  of  In- 
dian Education,  145 


Race  pride,  causeless,  13 

Races  of  Turkey,  179 

Railways,  in  India,  146 ;  ma- 
terial and  prospects  in 
China,  18,  19,  116;  quality 
of  service  in  Japan,  35 

Rammohan  Roy,  Rajah,  151, 
154 

Ramsay,  Sir  William  M.,  168, 
170 

Ranade,  Justice,  151 

Red  Cross  Society,  102,  120 

Reform  party  in  Korea,  yy- 

79 

Reinsch,  Professor  Paul,  214 

Religions,  3-5,  39-41,  68,  69, 
94,  142,  171-174,  179 

Religious  factor,  in  Asia,  22, 
23,  28,  29;  in  China,  23-28, 
90-97,  102-104,  109-135,  199; 
in  Europe,  8,  22,  23 ;  in  In- 
dia, 142,  143,  151-162,  197, 
198;  in  Japan,  39-55,  I99» 
200;  in  Korea,  66-83;  in 
Turkey,  165-167,  179-189 

Renaissance  of  Asia,  5,  8; 
compared  with  that  of  Eu- 
rope, 6,  14,  22,  23,  28 

Revolution  in  China  nearly 
bloodless,  loi ;  compared 
with  Gettysburg,  102 

Rhee,  Dr.,  78;  prison  experi- 
ence of,  79-81 

Rice  and  tea  as  Indian  ex- 
ports, 146,  147 


Index 


'Z2y^ 


Robert  College,  184,  185 

Robertson,  Professor,  24-28, 
121,  122 

Robins,  Raymond,  20 

Roman  Catholics,  in  China, 
128;  in  Japan,  53 

Russian  hold  on  Chinese  de- 
pendencies,  107 

Russians  in  Robert  College, 
185 


Sabah-ed-din,  Prince,  181 

"  Sage  of  Judea,  The,"  43 

Sailer,  T.  H.  P.,  xiv,  6 

Saint  John's  University  in 
Shanghai,  133 

Saint  Paul's  Institute,  185 

Saint  Sophia,  church  of,  168 

Salonica,  176 

Schools.  See  Educational  ad- 
vance. 

Schwab,  Charles  M.,  19 

Secularization,  tendency  in 
China  toward,  108 

Semitic  race,  179 

Servants  of  Indian  Society, 
150 

Seva  Sadan,  the,  150 

Shamanism,  68 

Shanghai,  banquet  in,  116; 
mission  press  in,  16;  uni- 
versity in,  133 

Shansi  province,  18 

Shantung  Christian  Univer- 
sity, 133 

Shensi  massacre,  the,  102 

Sherman  disaster,  the,  69 

Shimose  powder,  35 

Shintoism,  39,  40 

Sikhs,  the,  159 

Smyrna,  185 

Social  awakening,  20-22,  36 

Social  Evolution,  5 


Social  factor,  in  Asia,  20 ;  in 
China,  21,  102,  107-109;  in 
Europe,  8;  in  India,  22, 
141,  142,  149-151 ;  in  Japan, 
20,  21,  35-39;  in  Korea,  59, 
60,  65-67;  in  Turkey,  171- 
I74»  180,  181 

Social  service,  effect  of 
Christian  teaching,  149,  150 

Sofia,  address  in,  to  Bulgarian 
military  students,  185,  188 

Spencer  and  Huxley,  influ- 
ence of,  122 

Statesman's  Year-Book,  6 

Statistical  Abstract  for  Brit- 
ish India,  147 

Statistics  of  Protestant  mis- 
sions, in  China,  128,  129;  in 
India,  151-153,  156;  in 
Japan,  49,  53;  in  Korea, 
212 

Steel  works  at  Wuchang,  18 

Student  meetings,  topics 
treated,  26,  27,  159;  very 
marked  interest,  in  Bul- 
garia, 185,  188;  in  China,  11, 
23-28,  92,  95,  124,  127;  in 
Greece,  187;  in  India,  157- 
159;  in  Japan,  23;  in 
Servia,  185,  189;  in  Tur- 
key, 185 

Student  Volunteer  Move- 
ment, 130,  188,  194 

Students  at  Tokyo  Univer- 
sity, 43 

Study  of  Indian  Economics, 
140,  147 

Suggestions  for  situation  in 
China,  132 

Sun  Yat-sen,  Dr.,  loi,  102, 
120 

Suttee,  149 

Syed  Ahmad  Khan,  Sir,  155 

Syrian  Church  of  Travan- 
core,  197 


228 


Index 


Syrian     Protestant     College, 

184 


Tai  Ping  rebellion,  102 

Tarsus,  185 ;  atrocities  at,  176 

Tata  Iron  Works,  147 

Tatar  race,   179 

Taylor,  Hudson,  128 

Tea,  146 

Telugu  country,  152 

Temple  of   Heaven,  the,   108 

Theosophical  Society,  the,  155 

Thomas,  Mr.,  killed  in  Ping 
Yang,  69 

Thomas  Paine  of  Japan,  the, 
50 

Three  religions  of  Korea,  68 

Tibet,  107 

Tientsin,  Mr.  Chang  in,  124, 
125 

Tinnevelli,  152 

Tobacco  in  China,  no 

Tokat,  Turkey-in-Asia,  182 

Tokyo  University,  43 

Torture  abolished,  21,  36 

Travancore,  152 

Treaty  of  London,  189;  of 
Peking  in  i860,  115;  of 
Portsmouth,  9,  14 

Trevelyan,  Mr.  Charles, 
quoted,  152 

Troas,  3 

Trumbull,  H.  Clay,  213 

Tsing  Hwa  College,  95 

Turkey  and  Its  People,  169 

"  Turkey  and  the  Balkan 
War,"  177 

Turkey,  Committee  of  Union 
and  Progress,  174;  condi- 
tions in,  170;  Constitution 
of  1876,  175;  greatest 
enemy  of,   181;   record  of 


misrule,  169-171 ;  religions 
in,  168;  statistics,  167 
Turkish,  characteristics,  172, 
173;  nationaUties,  168; 
race,  168,  171 ;  students  in 
Robert  College,  184,  185 


U 


United  Church  of  South  In- 
dia, the,  156 

United  Provinces,  mass 
movements  in,  152 

United  States,  33,  38,  53 

Uniting  missions  in  South  In- 
dia, 156 

University  of  Athens,  Dr. 
Mott  at,  187 

"  Untouchables,"  the,  150 

Urga  Convention,  107 


Vedas,  the,  154,  155 
Verbeck,  Dr.,  34 
Vivekananda,  Swami,  155 
Von  During,  Dr.,   173     ' 
Von  Richthofen,  Baron,  18 

W 

Wang,  C.  T.,  118-121 

Washburn,  President  George, 
184 

Wealth  of  India,  140 

Whaling  industries,  protec- 
tion of,  33 

Wheat  in  Indian  exports,  147 

"  White  slave  traffic,"  50 

Widow,  the  Indian,  and  re- 
marriage, 150 

Williamstown  prayer-meet- 
ing, 193 


Index 


229 


Wilson,    President,    and    the 

Chinese  loan,  106 
Wireless    daily    news    on    a 

Japanese  steamer,  18 
Woman,  condition  of,  in  the 

East,   22,    35,    z^,   38,    149; 

education  of,  in  China,  15; 

in  India,  22,  145 
Womanhood,     Moslem,     173, 

174 
Wong,  K.  S.,  116 
World's     Chinese     Students' 

Journal,  iii 
World's     Student     Christian 

Federation,  187,  194 
Wu  Ting-fang,  Dr.,  no 


Yen  Hsiu,  Mr.,  121 

Yi  Hiung,  Korean  emperor, 
62;  transfers  the  throne,  63 

Yi  Sang  Jai,  81,  82 

Yi  Seung  Man,  78 

Yi  Wan  Yong,  63 

Young  China  party,  100 

Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, 118;  desired  at 
Hangchow,  116;  in  Turkey, 
180 

Young  Turks,  174-176 

Yuan  Shih-kai,  120 

Yusuf  Ali,  Mr.  A.,  149 


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